Child of the Force
by Sola Haze
Summary: Twins Ezra and Arez Bridger are about to go out on their biggest adventure yet. With the crew separated from the ghost, the rebels take a risky mission to the Sienar fleet system factory, but something goes wrong. The twins soon find themselves imprisoned on the star destroyer, and find a new threat rising against them. (T rating because I wouldn't read this to a child.)
1. Chapter 1: The Ghost

_Happening right now in a galaxy far far away_

In the far away plains of Lothal, the Ghost star ship was landed. Inside, all were asleep. All but two.  
Ezra and Arez Bridger, twins, both sharing a force-sensitive nature, at the moment layed awake, unable to sleep. Something was coming, they could _feel_ it.

Ezra and Arez sat on a bench built into the wall, watching Zeb and Chopper play a hologram robot fighting game. Zeb was losing bad, cursing under his breath, but Ezra and Arez still hoped he'd win. Better him than the robot.  
"Karabast." Zeb said under his breath, losing for the third time in a row. " How does he do it?"  
Arez shrugged, trying to cool the Lasat's hot temper. "Guess it just takes practice."  
"Entering hyperspace!" Hera called from the cockpit. Arez stood up, and walked into the cockpit. She'd been wondering where they were going, but hadn't bothered asking before now.  
"So, Hera." She began as she entered. "Where exactly are we going again?"  
"There are Imperial ships on our tail."  
Arez blinked. "What?! Why didn't you tell us before?"  
Hera shrugged, moving over to a panel of controls on the left, likely the comm. "Cause I knew you'd get all worked up."  
"Well, you were right." Arez dashed out of the cockpit and climbed up a ladder into the hallway to the _Phantom_ , running into the small attack ship. She looked out the window, Hera was right. Imperial ships. Dozens of them. And...  
"A Star-destroyer!" Ezra exclaimed. He had had likely followed behind her. Arez slammed a hand down onto the comm button to Kanan who was manning the turret.  
"What do they want?!" She asked.  
"The cargo." Kanan shot down one of the ships. "They want the blasters we stole."  
"Blast it! Why isn't it working?!" Hera yelled out, reaching up to the shuttle.  
"What's wrong?" Ezra asked, pressing the comm.  
"Hyperspace controls are down. I can't make the jump."  
"So what are we gonna do?!" Arez shouted  
Hera didn't even pause. Her improvisation skills came in immediately. "Enter back in Lothal and hopefully outrun them far enough for them to lose our signal."  
"Great." Ezra sighed. " So we're doomed."

They broke through Lothal's atmosphere about ten minutes ago, and the twins were still freaking out. The ships were still on their tail, and outrunning them was seeming more and more impossible. Now flying at near top speed, they were losing fuel.  
"Hera! Fuel's running low!" Ezra called.  
"What?" Hera checked the fuel gage. It was nearing empty. "But the ammount of fuel we put in the tank should've lasted us four days." Hera then realized "Chopper! Run a scan of the ship. I think we may have a leak." Chopper made a grumbling noise, but ran the scan.  
A few minutes later, he made another noise.  
"So I was right. One of the ships must've hit near our fuel tank."  
"Great. So what now?" Arez asked.  
There was a pause. "We need to abandon the Ghost."  
"What?!" Kanan yelled over the com.  
"Everyone get in the Phantom. I'll set the ship to auto pilot, and have it land shortly. The Imperials will see there's no one on the ship."  
"But won't they see the Phantom?" Sabine asked.  
"I have a cloaking setting installed in the Phantom for emergencies."  
Sabine frowned. "So it looks like we have no choice."  
"What about the Ghost?" Zeb asked.  
"We'll come back for it eventually, but for now, everyone grab your most important possesions. No more, no less." Hera said.  
Everyone ran to their rooms. Sabine grabbed her helmet and a case full of bombs and spraypaint. Zeb grabbed his Bow-rifle. Ezra grabbed his holodisk and Arez grabbed a bunch of ink balls for the slingshot she had on the right arm of her outfit. Kanan quickly went to his room. His lightsaber was already attached to his utility belt, so he grabbed the holocran and put his blaster also into his utility belt. They were set to go.  
They all piled into the Phantom, and Hera set the Ghost to auto-pilot. She entered the Phantom and headed to the controls, pressing the cloaking switch, then the launch button. Ezra and Arez looked out the Phantom's one window, watching the Ghost get smaller and smaller as they flew farther away.


	2. Chapter 2: The Phantom

Arez and Kanan were the only ones awake. It had been nearly two hours since launch, and Zeb, Sabine, and Ezra had fallen asleep. Ezra's head layed on Arez's shoulder as he slept, and Arez didn't want to wake him. Arez looked up at Kanan, who's eyes were full of worry.  
"What do you think's gonna happen?" She asked.  
"I don't know," Kanan met her eyes. "All we can do is hope for the best."  
Arez nodded, looking down at her hands which were clasped in her lap. "Kanan." She looked back up at him. "Do you really believe me and Ezra can become Jedi?"  
There was a little hesitation, and Arez could see Kanan was trying to choose his words carefully. "Yes, Arez. I do believe it. The real question is do _you_ believe it?"  
Arez thought to herself. "Yes. Yes, I do believe we can become Jedi. That we can take down the Empire." Of course Arez wasn't sure how to do that. She barely knew what she was fighting for. She and Ezra had been born on the exact day that the Clone Wars had ended, so they had never seen a brighter world. Only dreamt it.

"That's impossible." Arez said. Kanan and Hera had just finished explaining that they were going to sneak into the Sienar Fleet System Factory and blow the place up. The Sienar factory was where TIE fighters were made. The place was heavily guarded, and it seemed impossible to sneak past the guards _and_ all the workers.  
"It's not _impossible_ " Kanan said.  
"Yeah, it's just attempting to sneak past hundreds of people building TIE's that can shoot at us. What could go wrong?" Ezra said, sarcastic as always.  
"Look," Sabine put a holodisk in a machine, and a holographic image of the Sienar System was projected into the air. "If we take out this factory, we could make a big impact in the Imperial ranks."  
"But what if we get caught? What if-"  
"Ezra, enough with the _what if's_." Hera said. "It may be risky, but it's worth it."  
Arez sighed, knowing there was no argument. "Okay. What's the plan?"  
"Okay." Sabine directed their attention to the holo-image. "Here's how its gonna go down."

Ezra and Arez walked along in disguise with a crowd of kids their age.  
 _"You two will sneak in with a group of kids who are suposed to learn how to make TIE's and one day work in the factory. You'll be in disguise, so no one will recognize you."_  
Arez had her hair up in two pigtails and wore Green contacts and fake Blue glasses. She wore what most of the other kids were wearing, as did Ezra. Ezra wore a hat over his hair and also had Green contacts on. Across his right cheek, Sabine had fixed a fake scar, though it looked real.  
 _"You're going undercover as Susani and Jardynn Law. No one'll suspect a thing."_  
The twins listened to the instructor talk about the system. "This is the finest TIE factory on all of Lothal. We have thousands of employees, and one day, you too may work here."  
The twins then saw their opportunity when the instructor had his back turned. They ran into a crowd of finished TIE's. They maneuvered through them until they were completely hidden. Arez dug out some explosives from inside her jacket, handing a few to Ezra.  
 _"Then you're going to plant the bombs on the TIE's, and blow them up from a safe distance away."_  
Arez put one on the side of each TIE until she all out of bombs, then they slipped back into the group. Arez had the detonator in her pocket, her thumb hovering inches from the button. Finally, she pressed it, and the bombs went off, blowing up the TIE's. Clouds of smoke filled the air, and the guards began moving the kids away from the TIEs. Ezra and Arez looked at each other and nodded. Ezra whipped off his hat and Arez whipped off her glasses. They began running towards the entrance. The instructor and a few guards saw them.  
"Those are the Rebels they told us about! Stop them!" The instructor yelled. Arez looked behind them to see many guards running after them. Luckily, and strangely, they had no guns on them.  
 _"Then you're going to meet us outside, and if all goes well, we'll escape with nothing more then a scratch."_  
The twins ran outside to see the Phantom waiting. The door was open, and Zeb, Sabine, and Kanan stood inside, waiting. The twins doubled their speed, but one of the guards caught Arez by the foot.  
"EZRA!" She yelled as she fell and was pinned by the guards. He looked back and gasped, distracted just long enough to get tackled by one of the guards.  
Arez wasnt sure why, but suddenly the world seemed to get very dark, fading. The last thing she saw was the phantom flying away. Without them.  
"No..."


	3. AN

If you've read this far, I thank you for not ditching my story. I hope you like Arez, I think she add's flavor that the seires lacks.  
Anyway, I'm hosting a contest. Fill out the form below, and I may choose your character to be in my story. There is only one winning spot, so try and put your very heart and soul into your character (But, you know, not literally)

Name:  
Age:  
Species (Preferably one that speaks english):  
Homeplanet:  
Looks (Description. ill find the picture for the winning form):  
Personality:  
Extras:

I'd prefer a girl, but guys are allowed.  
I'll post the results as soon as I find a winner, so keep reading. And may the force be with you, always...


	4. Chapter 3: The Star Destroyer

Arez woke on the floor of a cell. Her mouth felt dry, with the strange taste of something strange. They must have used drugs to keep her unconscious long enough to transport her to the cell. She slowly stood up, looking around. She had been in a cell two times before so she knew what it looked like, and she knew she was probably on the Star Destroyer right now. But where was Ezra? What had happened? Why had the others left them? She sighed, sitting down. The Inquisitor was probably on his way right now to turn her to the dark side. Or kill her.  
Her pigtails and contacts were still in. She pulled the elastics out of her hair and put them down, then took out the contacts. She sighed, looking down at the brilliant green contacts in her hands. She threw them across the room in frustration. Was this it? Was she never going to see the _Ghost_ crew again? Never see her brother again?  
Suddenly, the door opened, but Arez knew who it was before she even looked.  
"Hello, Padawan."  
She looked up to see the person who struck fear into her heart every time she saw him. It was the Inquisitor.  
"What do you want anyway?" She asked with a sharp glare.  
He looked down at Arez with such calmness. She hated that calmness.  
"Is that any way to talk to your future Master?"  
Her glare intensified. "You're not my Master and never will be. I have a master who's ten time better than you."  
"The same Master who left you behind? Face it, orphan. Your Master can not train you to your full potential." A dark smile appeared on his calm face. "But I can."  
There was a pause. Arez's defiant instincts said he was wrong, but a small, nagging voice at the back of her head said otherwise. Arez couldn't believe she was even considering this. "What have you done with my brother?" She changed the subject.  
"Your brother remains in his cell, as stubborn as you."  
"See? You couldn't turn Ezra, and you wont be able to turn me either." The Inquisitor was right about one thing. Arez was very stubborn.  
"I may have not been able to make your brother see the truth, but your will is not as strong. I can sense it. Every second you fall farther into the darkness."  
His words fell upon deaf ears. At the moment, Ezra was all she could think of. Was he okay? That guard had tackled him, so he must have been hurt. The idea of him being hurt was almost more than she could bear. She felt a heavy weight suddenly on her, pushing her down, something beyond mere dread. She felt cold numb her fingers. She grit her teeth, forcing the feeling away as best she could. "I'll... never join you..." Arez said, though she felt her will breaking beneath the onslaught of negative thoughts. No. This was not happening. This couldn't happen.  
"Very well." The Inquisitor said. "I will return soon. Hopefully you will then realize the truth." And with that, he walked out of the cell, leaving Arez all alone.  
She sighed, looking down at her hands which were clasped in her lap. Now all she could do was wait. Wait for an opportunity to escape.


	5. Winner!

I got three great entrees, and I can honestly say, I liked one in perticular. I can also honestly say that I need more readers.  
Anyway, the winner is...

MARINA DELGONZO!

Name: Marina Delgonzo [ Real name is Savannah Carson]  
Age;14-5  
Species; Human  
Home planet; Lothal  
Looks; (before 2nd chapter of my fabric, Rebellions newest spark) brunette hair in loose ponytail, aqua eyes, white tank with black sweater, blue jeans, white & purple sneakers. Jaina_Solo_Sword_of_the_Jedi  
Personality; Random, sweet,loyal to close ones, kind.  
Extras; Is sometimes considered 'not exactally sane', is a great actress, has a slight crush on Ezra that bloomed later on the show.  
Of corse, I had to change the homeplanet which originally said earth. Now, you will see marina in the next chapter, but congrats to the runner-ups

FALLEN & ALLIKIE!  
Great job guys!

Name: Fallen  
Age: 6  
Species: human  
Home planet: Lothal  
looks: black hair, yellow eyes, short Commission_Jedi_Tanake_Trang  
force or not: yes  
personality: strong, protective, caring, shy  
extra:  
~ will join the rebellion soon  
~ mother was part of the cosmic  
~ eyes will turn crystal blue when using her power's for good  
~ eyes will turn blood red when using her power's in anger

Name: Allikie  
Age:15  
Species: Twi'lek  
Home plannet: Ryloth  
Looks: Blue skin with sky blue eyes, A brown leather top with brown pants and a purple lighsaber image...  
Personality: Kind, fun, sarcastic, stubborn, a bit shy, stubborn  
Extra:  
~is a Jedi  
~Is hera's sister  
~Has a crush on

so thanks for entering my contest, hope you enjoy the next chapter, and may the force be with you, always...


	6. Chapter 4: That Apprentice

The next few days, Arez waited in the cell. She was mostly left alone, except for the food she was given once a day. Bland rations. Good enough.  
She was thinking about her brother, _What would Ezra do?_ She thought. Then she got an idea. She hid beside the door. Soon her daily food came, but when the trooper saw Arez wasn't there, he stepped inside the room to check if she had escaped. While he entered, Arez slipped out of the cell and closed the door, locking the trooper inside.  
She chuckled. It felt good to have the old lying, thieving Arez back. She opened a compartment next to the cell door. Inside, her sling-shot and a bag of ink balls were. She grabbed them, and ran down the hall.  
It wasn't long before she ran into more trouble. An explosion came from one direction, so she decided to go the other way. She ran down the hall, looking for Ezra when she began hearing voices in her head. She was hearing what the Inquisitor had said to her.  
 _Each moment, you fall farther into the darkness. Your master could not train you to your full potential. But I can. And even though I could not make your brother see the truth, your will is not as strong._  
She stopped running, and grabbed her head, as if that would make the voices go away. And so they did. She looked up to see the Inquisitor standing nearly 15 feet away.  
"Leave me alone!" Arez yelled out in frustration.  
The same dark smile was still on his face. "I am not the one you need to worry about." He stepped aside to reveal a hooded figure. "She is."  
The figure was obviously female, seeing as the outfit she wore was so tight. She wore tight leather pants and top, with gloves matching. She also wore a cloak that came down to her knees, and around her waist was a utility belt where two lightsabers were attached.  
The Inquisitor obviously noticed Arez's amazement. "You had your chance, orphan. Now you will face my Apprentice." He said, then walked away, leaving Arez alone with the cloaked girl. What happened now?  
The girl answered her question when she drew one of her lightsabers. She then drew the other one and tossed it to Arez. "Just to make it a fair fight." Her voice was clear and smooth.  
Arez caught the lightsaber, and turned it on as the girl had done. Arez had only held Kanan's lightsaber a few times, so it still felt strange. She looked up at the mystery girl, and a split second later, they were in lightsaber combat.


	7. Chapter 5: The Rescue

Arez was amazed at how well she did in her first lightsaber combat, unfortunately it wasn't well enough. About one minute into the fight, the hooded girl had inflicted little cuts everywhere on her arms and legs, it almost seemed as if the girl only wanted to injure her. Or maybe she was trying to weaken her before she killed her. Either way, man, this girl was viscous!  
Arez fought hard, but this hooded Sith girl fought harder, slashing with her lightsaber. Arez tried to block her, but this girl meant business. She suddenly swiped her saber down, cutting into one of Arez's legs. That was all it took.  
Arez dropped onto one knee, unable to stand. Her lightsaber deactivated and fell from her hand, her vision turned red. She looked up to see the cloaked girl about to kill her. She knew it was over.  
"I think that will be enough." The Inquisitor's voice came from behind the girl. The girl froze, then Arez heard a growl rip through her teeth. The girl used the Force to pull her second lightsaber into her hand, then turned towards the Inquisitor. She raised one arm, and gave to universal _come at me_ gesture.  
The Inquisitor looked shocked for a moment, then anger broke through. "You think you have the right to challenge me? I trained you!" He said, then drew his own lightsaber, activating it. "But if that is how it must be."  
They ran at each other, closing the distance between them, then the distinct sound of clashing lightsabers echoed through the hall. Arez barely saw any of it, she was too busy attempting to stand with her hurt leg. The only part of the fight she saw was near the end. The Sith girl used the Force and pushed the Inquisitor through a door, then used the force to close the door and lock it. But then a red lightsaber blade stabbed through the door, and began moving sideways.  
The Sith girl deactivated her lightsabers, putting them away. She ran over and helped Arez up, then they began walking down the hall. Arez looked up in amazement at the girl. Was she _helping_ her? She decided to just go with it and continued to walk, but suddenly Kanan dropped down from the ventilation shaft five feet in front of them.  
"Arez!" He said, sounding surprised and happy, but his smile faded when he saw the girl. He reached for his lightsaber.  
"No!" Arez yelled. "She's good." She tried to assure him.  
He looked confused, but put his lightsaber back. "C'mon, the ship's this way." He said, and came to help Arez walk as well.

They eventually reached the ship. The _Ghost_ was there, "You got the _Ghost_ back." Arez sounded surprised.  
"Yeah, the Imperials left it alone, just took the crates back." Kanan replied. The _Ghost_ 's door opened, and they hurried inside. Everyone was inside waiting. Including Ezra. Arez smiled, then remembered back at the Sienar System. Her smile faded into a glare.  
"Why did you leave us back at the Sienar factory?" She asked.  
"Arez," Kanan said. "It's not like we had much choice."  
"Yeah," Sabine chimed in. "But we still came back for you."  
Arez thought about it. That _was_ true. And she honestly was in no condition to argue. The ship launched away from the Star Destroyer, and Hera walked into the room, after setting the ship to auto-pilot. She smiled at Arez, but then noticed the Sith girl.  
"Who's this?" She asked.  
Arez glanced over at the Sith girl. "I actually have no idea."  
The girl reached up and pulled down her hood, revealing her face. She was quite a pretty girl with long Brown hair in a ponytail, and eyes like Lothal's oceans _before_ they were polluted. She had fair skin, and a White scar across her right cheek. "My name is Marina Delgonzo." She said. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance."


	8. Chapter 6: The Good Sith

Ezra helped Arez over to a seat, the gash in her leg was bleeding, and the fight had left her pant legs and shirt sleeves tattered and ripped. Arez tore away her ripped sleeves and pant legs, turning her pants into shorts and her once long-sleeved shirt into a T-shirt. Hera brought a few bandages, and wrapped them around her leg, which didn't help much. Almost immediately, the bandage was soaked in blood.

"You did this?" Sabine asked Marina, gesturing to Arez.

Marina nodded, "I just did what my Master told me to."

"Who's your master?" Ezra asked.

"The Inquisitor." Arez said before Marina could answer.

"What?!" Zeb said. "And you let her on the ship?!"

"Well, yeah. She didn't kill me. And she fought the Inquisitor, then helped me get away. Even if she did cut a huge gash in my leg." Arez said, lightly touching the wounds on her arms.

Kanan looked at Marina. "You're a Sith?"

She nodded.

"Prove it." Ezra said.

"Alright." She drew both her lightsabers, and activated them. Most of the people in the room gasped at the red light. "Told you I wasn't kidding." She said, deactivating them.

Kanan crossed his arms. "That doesn't prove anything."

Marina crossed her arms too. "Woulds you prefer I preformed a Sith mind trick?"

That shut him up.

"So, why _did_ you come with me?" Arez asked.

Marina looked at her as if that was the dumbest question you could ever ask. "Well, for one, my Master would probably kill me if I didn't escape." There was some sass to the statement. "And second, I've wanted to leave the Empire for a while, and this was the best opportunity. You see, my parents turned me over to the Empire at a very young age. I've been the Inquisitor's apprentice for nearly two years now. And I've just been so fed up with it. He pushes me so hard, it's always _'Strike harder,'_ or _'Run faster,'_ So, I'm here now."

There was a pause, as if no one was sure what to say next. And no one did say anything, they just one by one left the room. But Arez couldn't leave, her leg was still bleeding heavily. Arez looked up at Marina, she had a question that she needed answered.

"Marina, if you hadn't been stopped, would you have killed me?"

Marina barely thought three seconds about it before answering. "Probably."

That sent a shiver down Arez's spine. She was still unsure of weather this girl was an enemy pretending to be a friend, or a new ally. Arez looked down at her tattered pants. Good thing this was just her 'Normal Lothal kid' disguise.

"So what do you plan on doing now that your here?" Arez asked Marina.

"Well, I've never truly tapped into the Dark Side, so I _can_ still change." She said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I think from now on I'm gonna be a good Sith."

Arez's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Does such a thing exist?"

Marina shook her head. "Whatever your Master told you about the Sith, he is wrong. The Sith were not so different from the Jedi as one might think."

Arez pursed her lips, taking this as a cue for the conversation to end. The silence was long. But then, it was broken.

"Arez?"

"Uh-huh?"

She stared at her lap, "What would you say if I said..." She paused, looking up at the Padawan. "I want to train you."

Arez looked up at her, confused. This girl was only around three years older than her... And she wasn't a Light Side user. That inspired some distrust, but she gave a more vague answer. "But... Kanan already trains me."

She nodded her head, "Yes, yes..." She inclined her head towards Arez. "But how well can he _really_ train you?"

Arez frowned. "Now you sound like-"

Marina cut her off by raising her hand. "Don't say it."

Arez bit her lip, not saying anything. Those words held quite a stern tone, that made her feel uneasy. A good Sith... Arez had no idea what that was, but it sounded no better then a bad Sith.


	9. Chapter 7: The Secret

The next days, Arez couldn't help but notice something was wrong with Ezra. He barely spoke to anyone, he was in his room most of the time, and when you did see him, he was disconnected, as if he noticed nothing around him. Arez worried for her brother, but never confronted him about it. She was scared that something had happened to him on that ship. Something bad.

"Focus." Kanan's voice chanted the mantra above as Arez attempted to lift a bowl off the table in front of her.

 _It would be much easier to focus if you would stop reminding me to focus._ She thought, but didn't say anything. She had gotten the bowl about two centimeters off the table when it fell back down with a bang. Two seconds later, so did Arez's head.

"You're not focusing." Kanan said as Arez groaned in frustration.

"I would try but I'm not supposed to try, remember?" Using his own words against him. She felt no need to praise herself.

Kanan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Where's Ezra?"

Arez frowned, "In his room." She looked down at the bowl. The last time she saw Ezra, he hadn't seemed very active.

 _She had gone into his room with something to eat, since he hadn't came out at dinner._

 _"I brought you some food." She said. Ezra was lying on his bunk, staring at the ceiling. He said nothing, only nodded. Arez nodded back, "Okay... I'll just leave it here." She said, putting the bowl of soup down on the floor next to the ladder before leaving._

"He does realize he's supposed to be here to train, doesn't he?" Kanan asked, sounding a little irritated.

Arez shrugged with a sullen expression. "Probably just going through something..."

* * *

Ezra sighed, staring up at the ceiling. Arez had just left after she brought him some soup. He had wanted to thank her, but he just hadn't been feeling right. He hadn't been feeling okay at all over the past few days. He shivered; Had the _Ghost_ always been this cold?

He had been captured before, but he had never felt this bad afterwards. Perhaps something happened that was making him feel so odd. Perhaps recalling the events would help him figure out what happened...

No. He didn't want to think of what happened on the Star Destroyer. He had been avoiding those thoughts ever since his escape. He tried not to remember what had happened, but it kept coming back to him, like a bad dream...

 _The Inquisitor had entered his cell to speak to him, and so far it hadn't been of any success Ezra had defied him at every opportunity he saw. "Kanan'll come back for me." Ezra argued._

 _The Inquisitor had shook his head with a mock pity. "Your faith in your Master is admirable, young Padawan, but he will not come for you." The Inquisitor said. "He does not believe in you, I could sense that on the abandoned Clone base. You cannot be trained by someone so lacking in trust and confidence..."_

 _"Kanan trust's me!" Ezra snapped with fury. He felt something stirring inside him, worse than anger._

 _"And yet he left you behind. He abandoned you."_

 _Ezra scowled sharply. "That's not true." He knew it was all in his head. Kanan trusted him... didn't he?_

 _"Believe what you might, orphan." The Inquisitor said. "I will return soon. Now I must go speak to your sister." He turned on heel and walked out the door._

 _Ezra felt his heartbeat spike. "You stay away from Arez!" He yelled as the door closed, but knew no one would hear him._

 _He waited in his cell for a few more days, alone, when he heard a voice in his head. It could have been a lack of sleep, or his anxieties getting to him, but it sounded... real._

 _Your master will not come for you. He does not believe in you._

 _That voice..._

 _You cannot be trained by someone so lacking in trust and faith._

 _It was the Inquisitor._

 _He kept hearing the voice in his head, insisting that Kanan didn't trust him, that Kanan would never be able to train him. Ezra tried to block it out, to ignore it, but the more he tried, the more prominent the voice became. Ezra grabbed his head, yelling out in frustration. And suddenly, the wall of the cell came crumbling down, crushing the Storm-troopers guarding his cell. His eyes fluttered open, and he gasped. The troopers, armor and all, laid crushed beneath the metal. There was a strange feeling inside of him. One he knew. He wasn't sure what it was, but he suddenly felt very cold. He quickly stood up, horror struck, and stumbled out of the cell._

Ezra's eyes snapped open. He was still there, on his bunk, alone, the ceiling three feet in front of his face. He slowly sat up, breathing heavily. He had realized back then that his power was evolving rapidly, faster than he could learn to control it. He had crushed those soldiers. Even if they were on the Empire's side, they were still people.

Only one thought entered his head

 _I can't do that to Arez._


	10. Chapter 8: Into Darkness

**I should probably say right now, I already have this book finished. And 30 Chapters of the second book finished too. It's all posted on Quotev, but I wanted to edit it before putting it up. Even the Authors Notes and contests and little recommendations of my other stories. If you all are on Quotev, I'm Sola Haze, and probably the only one on there, so you'll have no trouble finding me.**

Arez and Kanan trained together for a while longer, Arez finally feeling she was making some progress. Then Arez trained on her own. She had been trying at the bowl for at least ten minutes, Chopper had been watching her all the while, beeping discouraging comments. She chose to ignore him. And finally, she got the bowl to float a foot off the table.

"I...I did it!" She exclaimed, her voice bubbling with excitement. She looked over at Chopper, almost expecting him to be impressed. He gave her a few grumpy robot noises. The bowl suddenly dropped down onto the table, the bang-sound echoed through the empty room.

Arez groaned, dropping her head into her arms. "Seriously?"

More grumpy robot noises.

Rolling her eyes, she stood up, leaving the bowl and Chopper behind. Who cared about him? She headed to check on Ezra. He hadn't come out yet. Maybe he'd finished his soup and she could collect it. But when she opened the door, she couldn't suppress a gasp. Ezra wasn't there. Then... where was he?

Arez turned and opened the door to the room she shared with Sabine. He wasn't there either. She walked, almost ran, into the Common room, where Sabine, Zeb, Marina, and Kanan were.

"Have any of you seen Ezra anywhere?" She asked in the doorway.

Kanan shook his head, Zeb shrugged, and Marina just looked at Arez silently. "Maybe he's in the cockpit." Sabine suggested.

Arez nodded, and ran off. She opened the door to the cockpit, and that was then she lost it. Ezra wasn't there. "Ohhhhh no, no, no, no!" She whispered. Hera turned to her in surprise.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Ezra." Arez whispered, barely able to force the words out. "H-he's... gone..."

* * *

Ezra ran faster than he ever had before. He had to get far away before they realized he was gone. He didn't want to leave, but he couldn't bare the thought of hurting Arez. So far, he had ran far enough that he couldn't see the Ghost anymore. But that wasn't far enough.

He ran far from the ship, far from Capital City, far from everything. Suddenly, it began to rain. On Lothal, it rained seldom, but heavy. He had to find shelter soon, but the only thing he saw was an old abandoned building.

It was very big and dark, completely empty except for some big crates. It probably had once been part of another building, but something had happened, and the building disappeared. He ran inside, out of the rain. It took a few minutes for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, and he hid behind one of the crates, huddling in on himself.

* * *

"I'm going after him." Arez stated, and everyone stared at her in astonishment.

"We're coming too." Sabine said, already on her feet.

"No." Arez shook her head. "He's _my_ brother. I have to do this alone." And before anyone could argue, she was out the door.

For the next ten minutes, Arez ran blindly through the rain and fog. Her hair was dripping with water, and her clothes were soaked. But she didn't care. Ezra was all that mattered.

She eventually came to the abandoned building. Small, dilapidated, barely holding up against the rain. Ezra couldn't still be traveling in this rain. Even Ezra knew Lothal's rain was partially toxic. He must have taken refuge, possible here. And if not, she had to get out of the rain anyway. She ran into the building, her arms still over her head. She looked into the darkness, "Ezra?" She called out, hesitantly.

At the back of the building, crates were stacked and scattered at random, from things like spare parts and other things. As she stepped forth, a figure peeked it's head out from behind one of the crates. Even in the dark she could tell, it was Ezra.

"Arez." He said, quietly. "You have to leave."

He sounded younger, somehow, scared. She shook her head. It didn't make sense. "Why did you run away?" She asked, completely ignoring Ezra's warning.

"I didn't want to."

"Then why did you do it?"

Ezra swallowed, shrinking away as Arez came closer. "I...I'm sorry Arez. But I can't control it anymore. The Force might be just a little... _too_ strong with me." It sounded like a joke, but his voice was grave. "I don't want to hurt anyone..."

Arez was stunned for a moment, but shook her head. "You'd never hurt me, Ezra."

He looked down. "Not intentionally."

Arez pursed her lips, offering a helping hand. "I can help, Ezra. I really can."

"Arez, please just go!" His eyes were shut tight, and filled with tears.

Arez felt something close to sad anger. How could he expect her to just leave him like this? "No! I'm not leaving without you, Ezra!"

"Just _go!_ " Suddenly, a sound came from above Arez's head. A loud crack, a crumbling noise. She looked up, only in time to see the building roof collapsing.

Ezra's eyes snapped open to see the roof was gone, and a pile of crumbled rock laying before him. No... no, no, no... Arez... He felt tears brimming in his eyes.

"Arez!" He ran forward, he fell to his knees, digging and clawing through the rubble. He found a piece of cloth. He dug faster. He finally uncovered Arez, her eyes were closed, and a little blood dripped from the corner of her mouth.

"No..." Ezra whispered, watching his sister's face. This couldn't be happening... "What have I done?" He held Arez in his arms, devastated and soaking wet, as the rain crashed down on them both. He felt very cold inside. This was exactly what he had wanted to avoid, and yet, here it was, coming true before his eyes. He stared at her blank face, looking for signs of life. Nothing...

He hugged her close to him, tears fell from his eyes, "This is all my fault..."

* * *

 **Now to thank my only commenter so far.**

 **Annabel says: Love the story so far please write more!**

 **I will try. I love receiving long, detailed reviews, so let's try for those! Thank you all, and keep reading~ May the Force be with you, always**


	11. Chapter 9: The Dream

Arez couldn't see anything but darkness. She was unaware of where she was, and she felt strangely empty inside. The last thing she could remember was going to find Ezra, and the roof collapsing.

 _Did that really happen?_ She wondered.

Ezra carried Arez back to the _Ghost_ , which was incredibly hard because it was raining, Arez's weight nearly matched his own, and he frankly didn't know which way the _Ghost_ was. But he eventually found it.

Inside, everyone was waiting for Arez to return with Ezra, but this was a surprise to them. They all ran over to Ezra, shocked by the sight of Arez in her condition.

It was Kanan who was especially worried. "Ezra," He began, looking down at his young Padawans. "Did you do this?"

Ezra stammered to get the words out. "I-It was an accident!" He insisted.

Hera shook her head dismissively. "However this happened, why did you run away?" She asked. "Was it because we left you back at the Sienar factory?"

Ezra's mouth opened several times, but no sound came out. "No... Arez'll explain."

"Will you be heading out?" Kanan asked.

"Maybe, but not yet."

* * *

Arez was still in the dark space, and no matter how far she walked, all she could see was inky blackness all around. But then, she saw a small Blue light glowing in the distance. As she walked towards it, it became bigger and longer, until she could make it out to be the blade of a blue lightsaber lying on the ground. A still figure laid next to it.

"No!" It was Kanan. Arez ran to her Master's side. Was he dead? He couldn't be... She knelt down next to him, and lightly shook his arm. "C'mon Kanan, wake up."

"Don't you see?" A distant sounding voice asked. "He's dead."

She shook her head, her voice shook. "No, he's not." Arez felt tears fall from her eyes.

The voice, closer now, sighed. "That's just like you. You deny everything." Then, someone was behind her. She couldn't see them, but she knew it. The voice suddenly seemed all too familiar... Ezra?

"But... How could this happen?" She looked down at Kanan's deathly pale face, feeling frozen. "Who did this to him?"

Ezra chuckled. "You did."

* * *

They had brought Arez into the _Ghost_ 's medical bay. Ezra was becoming more and more paranoid. Perhaps she was gone... he couldn't tell if she was alive, and Kanan said that he was even having a hard time detecting her life force. Ezra sat alone in the medical bay, watching his sister's seemingly-lifeless body. He was about to give up on the thought of Arez being alive when a scream came from her mouth.

" _No!_ " The scream pierced the air, striking a combination of fear and relief into Ezra's heart. She was alive, but she was hyperventilating and convulsing with agonized sobs, as if someone was hurting her. He tried shaking her awake, but she didn't respond. A moment later, Ezra stumbled back as Arez's body let off a wave of pure Force energy, like a shield almost. The energy pulsed loudly in the air and in his ears.

Everyone else arrived a few moments later, obviously having heard the screaming. "What happened?!" Hera yelled over the buzzing energy, holding her hands over her ears.

"I don't know!" Ezra yelled. "She just started doing... this!" Arez curled into a ball, hugging her knees to her chest as she sobbed louder.

Kanan was the only one who dared get closer to the source of the dangerous waves of energy. He looked down at Arez, studying her He allowed his eyes to fall shut as he focused his energy into trying to connect with her through the Force. Trying to get something - anything! - through. _Arez!_

* * *

Arez was angry with herself, but denied it. She used the Force to call Kanan's lightsaber into her hands, then she faced the Ezra who suddenly had his own lightsaber. She tried to put together the two pieces to make Kanan's lightsaber, but was having trouble. She backed away as Ezra drew nearer, he activated his lightsaber. It was Red.

"Ezra, why are you doing this?" She asked, stumbling over her own feet.

"Doing what?" He asked. "Finally realizing the truth?"

This was not Ezra. This was something else. A manifestation of dark thoughts. The darkness, once silent, now seemed to whisper and hiss in her ears. Se couldn't block it out, but through it all, one voice reached her.

 _Arez!_ That was Kanan's voice. But he was dead. How was she hearing him now?

 _Kanan? Is that you?_

She finally got the pieces together, then activated the lightsaber. She ran at Ezra, and for a moment, their blades locked.

 _Arez! You need to wake up._

 _What?..._

 _Wake Up!_

* * *

Arez's eyes fluttered open. Where was she? She saw two dark shapes looming over her. Ezra and Kanan. Kanan was alive! And Ezra... she suddenly remembered all that had just happened. She sat up, despite Kanan's quiet cautions to take it easy, and got off the cot she laid on, then began advancing on Ezra.

"I've got a bone to pick with you, Ezra." She said, backing him towards a wall as she gestured wildly. "You shut me out, run away, and try to push me away once again when I come to rescue you!"

"S-sorry Arez-"

She raised a fist. "Sorry isn't good enough!" Hera and Sabine were suddenly on her, restraining her by the arms. And she let them.

"Calm down, Arez." Hera said in a soothing tone.

Arez relaxed slightly.

"Good." Hera said, she and Sabine let go of her arms.

Arez nodded, seemingly calmed. "Just one more thing." Arez looked back at Ezra. She brought her arm back, and relished the moment her fist made contact with his face.


	12. Chapter 10: Overly Exposed

The force of the punch caused Ezra's head to bang into the wall.  
"Arez!" Hera scolded.  
"What?! He's fine!" Arez said, gesturing to Ezra, who held his jaw in one hand.  
"I don't get it!" Ezra said. "That roof collapsed on you! Why aren't you hurt?"  
"What I don't understand," Kanan interjected. "is why I couldn't sense if Arez was alive or not."  
Then Marina spoke up. "I think I can answer that."  
All eyes turned to her, "You can?" Sabine asked.  
She held up one finger in a _wait_ gesture. She waked to stand in front of Ezra, and Arez stepped aside. She took one of Ezra's hands in both of hers. She closed her eyes, and all was quiet. No one spoke as they all watched Marina. A few minutes later, she opened her eyes. She released Ezra's hand. She looked over her should at Kanan. "Kanan, I need to speak with you. Alone."

* * *

Kanan closed the door behind him as he followed Marina into his room. She had her back turned to him, and silence filled the air.  
"You wanted to speak with me?"  
Marina suddenly whipped around. "You _i_ _diot!_ " She yelled at him. "If you can't even tell what's wrong with Ezra then how are you going to train him in the future?!"  
Kanan tried to keep a calm face. "So do you know what's wrong with Ezra or not?"  
"Kanan." She looked him dead in the eyes. "He's been overly-exposed to the Dark Side!"  
The room then fell silent once again. Kanan couldn't believe what she had just said. "How?"  
"Ezra's abilities are growing far quicker then you can teach him to control them. That's why he left. He doesn't want to hurt anyone." She said. "And you call yourself a Jedi." She mumbled that. Kanan scowled. "That's why you couldn't tell if Arez was alive. Ezra's dark energy is somehow wrapped around her mind."  
Kanan couldn't believe this. "Ezra..." He whispered.  
"You have to help your Padawan, Kanan. For all our sakes."

* * *

Ezra and Arez sat together in the room Arez shared with Sabine. Ezra refused to speak more on the subject of what had happened back at the garage, and Arez didn't mention anything about her dream. So it was pretty quiet. They just sat there, in silence, but suddenly, the _Ghost_ shook.  
"Whoa!" Arez shot to her feet.  
"What was that?" Ezra asked no one in particular.  
"I don't know." Arez said. "But it was big." They dashed out of the room and to the cockpit where Hera was flying them. "What's going on?!"  
"Imperials." Hera said. "Too many to deal with alone. I can't get Kanan a clear shot, and Chopper's still calculating the hyperspace coordinates." The ship shook again. "Chopper!"  
Chopper beeped a few times.  
"Well, its hard to give you a moment when there are none left!" Hera yelled at Chopper. Arez had never seen Hera this angry. Chopper beeped again, and Hera entered hyperspace. The stars blurred into streaks as they zoomed at light speed. She sighed in relief, then set the _Ghost_ to auto pilot. She turned to face the twins just as Kanan entered the room.  
"Ezra, I need to talk to you." He said. Ezra looked confused, but then nodded, following Kanan out of the cockpit, leaving Arez and Hera alone.

* * *

They sat down in the main room. Ezra looked up at Kanan, and he knew what he was going to ask before he even did. "Ezra. Tell me what happened on the Star Destroyer."  
Ezra knew there was no argument, so he told it all to Kanan. "I woke up in a cell, and the Inquisitor came to speak to me. He said..."  
"What did he say, Ezra?" Kanan asked.  
"He said you didn't trust me." He blurted out. "But... But that can't be true. You trust me, don't you?"  
"Ezra, of course I trust you." Kanan said, he always tried to put his trust in Ezra, even in difficult times, like now.  
"Well," Ezra continued. "Then a few days later, I began hearing voices, and then the wall fell down, and it was really cold."  
Kanan's eyes widened for a moment. "And what happened when you ran away?"  
Ezra hesitated, breaking eye-contact. "I hid in an old garage, and when Arez came, I... I accidentally made the roof collapse on her."  
Kanan thought for a moment. "And how do you feel right now?"  
Ezra shrugged. "I don't know. scared? anxious?" He looked back up at Kanan. "I guess I feel like I've let everyone down." His voice became a whisper. "Like I let you down."  
"Ezra," Kanan put a hand on his Padawan's shoulder. "You could never let me down."  
"But what if I do?" He asked. "What if I put the whole group in danger!?"  
"Ezra!" Kanan shouted. "Stop thinking like that!" He sighed. "As my Master once told me, fear is a path to the Dark Side. So you need to stop worrying and put some faith in yourself."  
Ezra sighed. "Okay."  
Kanan nodded. "Good."  
The ship shook violently. "We're hit!" Hera yelled from the cockpit. Suddenly the _Ghost_ crashed into the ground. A few minutes later, the doors were forced open, and bucketheads flooded in. Ezra heard a Lightsaber ignite outside the door. And he knew that they we're dead.


	13. Chapter 11: Trapped

**So, I've given up on editing these. These are now the original chapters as they were. The first book wasn't too good, but book 2 is better.**

* * *

The Inquisitor entered the ship, his Lightsaber in hand. "Bring the passengers to this room." He ordered. "I want them all alive." The stormtroopers nodded and went off to search the ship. Kanan stood up and put the two pieces of his Lightsaber together, but the Inquisitor just raised his hand and the Lightsaber flew across the room.

* * *

Arez heard the troopers, "We have to get to the _Phantom_." Hera said.

"But we can't just leave them!" Arez said.

"Arez, how is getting captured going to help them?" And before Arez could reply, Hera was pulling her down the hall, towards the _Phantom_. Arez spotted some troopers attempting to force their way into Sabine's locked room. She couldn't believe this was happening. They entered the _Phantom_ and locked the door. Hera went straight to the controls and detached them away from the _Ghost_.

* * *

The troopers entered the room once again with Zeb, Sabine, Marina, and Chopper. Marina and Sabine were unconscious, obviously having been hit with stun shots, Chopper was deactivated, and Zeb had his hands in the air with several weapons pointed at him. But where were Arez and Hera? Ezra didn't have time to think more on the subject because they were now being taken off the ship. Ezra looked up to see the _Phantom_ flying off. That must've been where Hera and Arez were.

They were brought onto a transport ship, and handcuffed. It seemed there was no way out of this. Ezra just stood there, waiting for what was yet to come.

* * *

Arez and Hera flew the _Phantom_ far from the abandoned _Ghost_ , Arez was sure that this time they would never see the ship again. The Empire wasn't stupid enough to leave the _Ghost_ unharmed twice in a row. "When they realize they didn't catch all of us, we'll be the two most wanted people on Lothal." Hera said. "Our pictures will be on every corner of Capital city."

"I just can't believe we left them behind." Arez said.

"Well, it's not like we had much choice."

Arez sighed. "At least tell me you have a plan to rescue them."

"I do." Hera assured her. "Just listen."

* * *

In the front of the ship, the Inquisitor spoke to Governor Pryce over a holocall. "I have the rebels." He said.

"Good." Governor Pryce replied. "Bring them to me."

Ezra stared down at his handcuffed hands, feeling guilty. He looked up at Kanan. "Sorry, Kanan. This is all my fault."

Kanan looked down at Ezra in surprise. "How is this your fault?"

"Cause I didn't do anything. I just sat there like a coward."

"Ezra, there wasn't anything you could've done."

"But still, I didn't even try." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I told you I'd put everyone in danger."

"And I told you to stop thinking like that."

"If I may intervene." Marina said. "We may die if this goes south."

Sabine slowly sat up, having just woken up. She took in their surroundings and sighed. "Yeah, this is bad."

* * *

Ezra felt even more guilty as they walked down the halls of the Empire's biggest building on Lothal. The Imperial complex. Everyone was handcuffed, and stormtroopers surrounded them on every side. They finally came to the end of the hall, the doors slid open, and they walked into the biggest room Ezra had ever seen. There were three people inside. A woman wearing a grey Imperial uniform, the one they called Governor Pryce, one in wearing combat clothes, Agent Kallus, And a woman that they knew was Minister Tua.

"Governor, I've brought the Insurgents here as you asked." The Inquisitor said.

The woman turned to face them, her eyes looked over everyone of them. "Good work, Inquisitor. I see you've brought the Jedi." She looked at Kanan. "And the Padawan as well." She looked at Ezra. She then looked to Sabine. "And you must be this other Padawan I've heard of." Sabine blinked in surprise, but shook her head with a glare, and the Governor looked back at the Inquisitor. "You haven't brought them all."

"Impossible." The Inquisitor replied. "My troops searched every inch of that ship."

"You have failed me, Inquisitor." She turned to look at Kallus. "Agent Kallus. I want your top trainee on the search for these criminals."

Kallus shook his head. "But, Governor, Tory isn't ready."

"Are you refusing direct orders?"

Kallus swallowed. "No, Ma'am. I'll have Tory on the search immediately."


	14. Chapter 12: Starbird

Arez and Hera entered a dimly lit bar in the Kothal marketplace. Hera strode confidently towards a table in the back of the bar, but Arez stuck close to Hera with her head down, avoiding eye contact with anyone. They sat down and Arez watched the door for Starbird. The day before, they had received an anonymous message from someone by the code name of Starbird, and Arez couldn't help but worry.

 _Hera was flying the_ _Phantom, trying to find the Ghost, Arez sat right next to her. Suddenly, something on the controls began beeping and blinking. Hera pressed a button, and suddenly, a voice came from the com radio._

 _"This is Starbird. I know that your counterparts have been captured by the Imperials." The message used vocal editing like Fulcrum's did, though it wasn't the same. "I have a plan to rescue them. Meet me tomorrow in Kothal's bar. I'll be wearing a single black glove on my right hand."_

 _"Got it, Starbird. We'll be there." Hera replied._

* * *

Arez came back to reality and saw a girl walk in. She had brown hair in a braid to the side, light skin, a deep purple outfit, and on her right hand, a single black glove.

"It's her." Hera said. The girl glanced over at them, then inconspicuously walked in their direction. She sat down across from Hera and Arez. Now that she was closer, Arez could see that her eyes were bright aquamarine.

"Starbird, I presume." Hera said. The girl nodded.

"Now, onto that plan I mentioned." She began to explain. Arez listened carefully, taking in every detail. Her voice held a sharp, military edge. "...And that's how it all goes down." She finished.

Suddenly, an Imperial holocast came on. "Two Insurgents are wanted by Governor Pryce. If you see these two rebels," Hera and Arez's pictures came onto the screen. "contact the Imperial Security Bureau immediately."

"I think we should leave now." Arez whispered to Hera.

"Right." She said. "We meet tomorrow outside the Imperial prison on Lothal."

Starbird nodded. "Don't be late." And with that, they walked out of the bar.

* * *

 **One Day Earlier**

Agent Kallus approached the Inquisitor at the Imperial blockade outside the prison on Lothal. "Inquisitor, Tory has a plan to lure the rebels into a trap, but she requests the rebel ship's communication contact number." He said.

"Then we'll just have to make one of the rebels talk." the Inquisitor replied.

He entered the rebel cell with several stormtroopers. Inside, all the rebels were held captive. "Cadet Tory requests the rebel ship communication contact number." He said.

"We'll never tell you that." Kanan said.

The Inquisitor smiled darkly. "I know _you_ wont." He said. "But your Padawan may."

Kanan's eyes widened as he realized what the Inquisitor was saying. He struggled, but his handcuffs bound him to the wall. The troopers grabbed Ezra and began to pull him towards the door. "Kanan!" He yelled.

"Ezra!"

The Inquisitor walked out the door, followed by the troopers holding the struggling boy. The door closed behind them, and Kanan stopped struggling. There was nothing left he could do now.

They entered a dark room with only one light, shining down on a torture table in the center of the room like a spotlight. The troopers forced Ezra onto the table and strapped him down. Ezra then saw a mind probe droid enter the room. The Inquisitor smirked at Ezra's obvious fear. "Now we will see how strong your Will is, young Padawan."

* * *

 **Present Day**

Arez spotted Starbird from their hiding spot outside the Imperial blockade. She ran to them, smiling. "Okay. we take out those guards," she pointed to some bucketheads guarding the entrance. "And we're in. My intel says the Rebels are being held on the upper level cells."

"Got it." Arez said. Hera aimed her blaster and shot twice, hitting the guards.

"Good job, let's go." Starbird said. They ran through the blockade and into the prison.

* * *

"He keeps resisting the Mind probe." A trooper said.

Ezra was still strapped to the chair, breathing heavily. The Inquisitor studied at Ezra for several seconds. "I know what will work." He said. "The Mind probe may work on those with weak Wills, but pain can break people." He stepped forwards and put his hand up, towards Ezra. Suddenly, Ezra's eyes squinted shut and he clenched his teeth as he began to burn. A few seconds later, though it felt like infinity to Ezra, the Inquisitor put down his hand, and Ezra relaxed. "Now, Padawan. Tell us the contact number of your Rebel ship."

Ezra, though weak, managed to raise his head. "...Never."

The Inquisitor frowned. "Very well." He put his hand back up. Ezra's face once again became contorted in pain.

A minute later, the Inquisitor put his hand down. Ezra, panting heavily, opened his eyes. "The Ship's... number is... 7041965." He finally gave in.

 _I'm Sorry Kanan._ he thought.


	15. New Character!

**Hey guys! I'd like to send a special thanks to my 100th commenter,** Cr33p3rGrrl, **and** **since she was, I'm gonna put her oc in my story!**

Name: Tory Gospi  
Age: 17  
Species: human  
Gender: Female  
Crush: none  
Side :Rebels!  
Powers: force sensitive  
looks: normal chocolate brown hair in (what I call a Katniss Braid) Single braid down her back. bright aqua marine eyes and light skin. normal outfit kinda like Ezra's but is purple and blue instead of orange. and does better barefoot that in shoes  
Bio: Hates Empire because they took her little 12 year old sister, Natalie but people call her Nat and Tory sometimes calls her ally, to be trained as a trooper and really wants to find her and get her back. She now works for the empire  
Weapon: What ever she can find

 **Thanks,** Cr33p3rGrrl **! it's really great. Check out the next chapter to see this new character in action. And may the force be with you, always.**


	16. Chapter 13: A New Apprentice

Hera and Arez followed Starbird as she snuck past Stormtroopers and other guards. She led them to the upper-level cells, but as the doors opened, they saw that the hall was full of troopers.  
"It's a trap!" Arez yelled as they ducked, avoiding the stun shots.  
"We'll make a path for you, Arez. You go and find the others." Hera said, shooting a few guards.  
Arez nodded, and when she saw the opportunity, made a run for it. She made it past all the troops and ran down the hall. She found the Rebel cell and opened the door. Everyone looked up at her.  
"Arez!" Sabine said in surprise.  
"C'mon! We have to get out of here!" Arez said and stepped aside so everyone could get out. She opened a compartment next to the door, which held all their weapons. "Hurry! Grab what's yours and let's go."  
Everyone grabbed their stuff and they ran down the hall. The sound of the shooting had died down, but when Arez turned the corner, she gasped. Starbird had Hera's own blaster in her hand and was holding it to Hera's back. The troopers were right by her side, and Arez finally realized, Starbird was a traitor.  
"Hera!" Kanan yelled.  
"Get everyone out of here, Specter 1," Hera said.  
"Starbird, how could you?" Arez asked.  
"Her name isn't Starbird." A voice came from behind Starbird. Agent Kallus stepped into the hallway. "It's Tory."  
Zeb growled. Kallus chuckled. "It seems we've caught you. Now drop your weapons or the Twi'lik dies."  
Arez looked at Hera, she suddenly winked at them. "What?" Arez whispered. Then she realized what Hera meant. "No."  
"What?" Kallus said in surprise. "I said, drop your weapons!"  
"No," Arez repeated.  
Starbird, Tory, then pulled the trigger of the blaster, but nothing happened. The blaster was out of ammunition. Hera suddenly swung around and punched out Kallus, then knocked Tory into the line of troopers.  
"C'mon!" She made a motion for them to follow her as she ran. They ran after her, and it seemed they were going to escape. The troopers were now following them again, but they could literally see the entrance from here. They were halfway there when suddenly, a trooper grabbed Ezra. Arez turned around while everyone kept running.  
"Let him go!" She yelled, pulling back her slingshot threateningly. Then, suddenly the Inquisitor came around the corner and stood next to the troopers. "L-let him go!" Arez repeated. "Take me instead!"  
That shocked everyone. "Arez, what are you doing?!" Ezra asked.  
Arez ignored him. "If you let him go, I-I'll come with you." She said.  
The troopers looked to the Inquisitor, awaiting his orders. "Release the boy." He said. "Take the girl." The guards released Ezra, shoving him towards Arez. He stood right in front of her, looking at her.  
"Don't do this, Arez." he pleaded.  
"Just... Go back to the Phantom with the others," Arez said. Ezra looked at her one last time, and she swore she saw tears forming in his eyes before he tore past her and out the entrance.  
Arez walked towards the troopers and the Inquisitor. "You made the right choice." The Inquisitor said to her, she now stood directly in front of them. "In fact, you would make a fine new Apprentice."  
And Arez said the only thing that came to mind.  
"Yes, Master."


	17. Chapter 14: The Newest Imperial

"I don't wanna talk about it," Ezra said for the eighth time that day. Kanan had asked him what happened back in the prison, but Ezra never said a word.

"Ezra, I get that you feel guilty for telling them the ship's identification number, but you have to tell me what happened with Arez," Kanan said.

"What's more to say?" He snapped. "She gave herself up for me. And now she's the newest Imperial."

"Ezra, she'll come back. She's probably looking for an escape right now."

* * *

Arez closed her eyes and put her hand up, in an attempt to make the bunk in front of her float. Training had ended five minutes ago, but even after, she trained. She didn't know why she was working so hard. She didn't want to be an Imperial. Or did she?

She was staying in a dorm room with a few boys from the Imperial academy, and they would return soon, so she was training for the time being.

She pictured the bunk in her mind and imagined it rising towards the ceiling. She opened her eyes to see the bunk floating nearly half a foot off the ground. She smiled, but then she heard voices from down the hall. The bunk dropped to the ground as soon as she lost focus, landing with a bang. The door opened, and three boys entered. Cadet Hardi, cadet Seira, and cadet Leonis, though she only knew them by their surnames.

"Hey, look. It's the hotshot Jedi hunter." Hardi said.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were training with the Inquisitor." Leonis said.

"You guys already know that I'm staying here. I've been here for a week." She said.

"Bridger, was it?" Seira asked. "We know that the Empire may have taken you in, but you're still a Rebel. Everyone knows that."

She gave him a sharp glare. "Maybe I am, but at least I have a purpose. I'm not some cadet who's going to grow up to be an expendable soldier."

"Well, at least we didn't grow up on the streets, you Loth-rat!" Cadet Hardi said.

"Go suck a lemon, Hardi!" Arez snapped. She whipped around and went to sit on her bunk, ignoring the boys. Siera climbed the ladder to the top bunk, and Leonis and Hardi went over to their bunk, chatting about some new cadet failure.

Arez sighed. Wherever Ezra was, she missed him.

* * *

"Is this really necessary?" Ezra asked, balancing on one hand before shifting back to two. He was training with Kanan, and right now, he was outside the _Ghost_ , doing a handstand. A few feet away, four large rocks laid on the ground in a circle position.

"Yes, it is," Kanan said. "Now try to stack those rocks."

Ezra sighed, closing his eyes. He pictured the rocks in his mind and imagined them moving. The rocks began to float, and he almost had the last one balanced on top when he lost balance and fell over. "Ow," he muttered, sitting up, holding a hand to his head.

"You need to focus," Kanan said. "What's going on with you, Ezra? It's like you can't clear your head."

Ezra frowned, standing up. "Sorry, Kanan. I'm just thinking about Arez. It's almost as if I can feel what she feels."

"And what does she feel?"

Ezra thought for a moment. "She feels frustrated... And agitated." He then realized something big. "Hey, maybe I can find out where she is!"

"I'm not sure, Ezra. Visions can be hard to interpret, especially when forced." Kanan said warningly.

"Well, I have to try."

Kanan sighed. "Go ahead."

Ezra closed his eyes, trying to clear his head. "She's in a room... And there are these three boys. Hardi, Siera, and... Leonis!" He opened his eyes. "Zare Leonis is a cadet at Lothal's Imperial academy. She must be there!"

"Ezra, are you sure that's what you saw?" Kanan asked, worried.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

"Alright, then we better go tell the others."

Ezra nodded, running towards the ship.

 _Don't worry, Arez. We're coming for you._


	18. Chapter 15: Intel

Arez ran alongside the Inquisitor after a couple of rebels on Garel. They had flown to the nearby planet after having heard that some rebellious activity had begun on Garel. It was two boys, one was blonde and looked around fourteen, while the other had brown hair and looked around twelve. At Arez's waist hung a red lightsaber. She hadn't wanted to take it, but she had no other choice but to agree. She was the newest Imperial after all.

They had cornered the boys in an alley, and there was no other way out. The blonde one grabbed a blaster from a holster at his waist, but the Inquisitor just raised his hand, and the boy was pushed up against the wall by the force. The other boy looked fearful for a moment, then made an attempt to attack Arez. She blocked his punch, then kicked him in the gut, sending him backward. He slammed into the wall and fell to his knees before her. She drew her lightsaber, the red blade ignited. She brought it up, ready to finish the boy. But she hesitated.

"You know what you have to do." The Inquisitor said. "Strike him down, Arez."

Arez bit her lip and closed her eyes, then brought the blade down killing the boy in one strike. She put her lightsaber back and turned away, walking out of the alley while the Inquisitor finished off the other boy.

She sighed, looking out at the sky.

 _Wherever you are, Ezra. I'm sorry._

* * *

Ezra and the others looked at a holomap of the Lothal Imperial academy projected by Chopper.

"Okay, guys. We've broken into this place once, we can do it again." Sabine said.

"Ezra has intel inside the academy, we should ask him what he thinks," Hera said.

"I'll ask Zare about Arez, and then we can start planning our attack," Ezra said.

* * *

That night, Ezra waited for Zare where he said they'd meet up. He waited beside a building in the dark, hidden from the Bucket-heads patrolling the streets. Zare showed up around 6:30 like they said.

"Hey, Dev." He greeted Ezra.

"Yep, that's me. Dev." Ezra said. "Anyway, I wanted to ask about someone new at your academy."

"Tommy Jinn? The failure cadet?"

"No. The girl."

"Wait, you mean the Inquisitor's new apprentice? Bridger? Why would she be any interest to you? She's just a show-off."

"Yeah, she's my sister."

Zare's jaw dropped. "You're kidding. Dude, tell me you're kidding."

"Nope, no joke. Me and my friends are planning to rescue her from the academy, but we need to know when would be the best time."

Zare thought for a moment. "Tomorrow evening, all the cadets will be in their dorms. Bridger conveniently stays in my dorm, so all you have to do is make it past two unarmed cadets. That is if you can sneak past the guards." He said. "Wait, how did you even know she was there?"

"I'm training to be a Jedi, remember? I _saw_ it."

Zare rolled his eyes. "Whatever with your Jedi weirdness. Just don't mess this up."

Ezra smiled but heard footsteps. Some Bucket-heads had seen them. "Oh, no. Sorry about this, Leonis." He said before shoving Zare into the wall and running off.

The troopers ran after Ezra, one stopped by Zare. "Cadet. Are you alright?"

"Sir, yes sir." He saluted. "I caught that Loth-rat selling Black market goods." Then they both ran after Ezra.

A brown haired boy in a cadet uniform, the boy named Hardi, stepped out of his hiding spot around the corner. He watched as Zare and the troopers disappeared down the street. "So Leonis is working with the Rebels." He chuckled. "And the Jedi."


	19. Chapter 16: Rylee Hardi

"So there it is," Sabine said, looking through binoculars. "The all-boys Imperial academy on Lothal."

Ezra and Sabine looked out at the Imperial academy from a platform above the Capital city streets.

"C'mon, Sabine. What's the plan?" Ezra asked. "We have less than a day to plan. According to Zare, Arez's being transported off-planet tomorrow to deal with some rebellious activity on Garel."

"But, isn't she the Inquisitor's apprentice?"

Ezra sighed. "Don't remind me. Yes, she is his apprentice, but the Empire is only sending her to assist the Imperial Security Bureau."

Sabine nodded, knowing not to ask more. "Anyway, so you crawl through the ventilation shaft to the right of the door. Go into the front entrance and open the door for us."

Ezra nodded. "What if there are troopers?"

Sabine rolled her eyes as if that was the dumbest question ever. "Stun them with your arm slingshot thing." She said, gesturing to his energy slingshot.

* * *

 **10 Hours Earlier**

Cadet Rylee Hardi reentered the academy, and immediately spotted Commandant, the officer in charge. He approached the admiral with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Sir." He said.

"Cadet Hardi." Commandant replied.

"Sir, while I was out, I overheard a Cadet from the academy speaking with a Loth-rat by the name of Dev Morgan in Capital city."

Commandant seemed taken aback. "Dev Morgan was a traitor Cadet who ran away from the academy."

"Well, I overheard them talking about a plan the Rebels have to attack the academy tomorrow evening."

"Cadet, did you see who he was speaking with?"

Rylee hesitated. He could've sold out Leonis right then and there, but he knew it wasn't the right moment. "No, Sir. He was wearing his helmet."

"Well, good work Hardi. This information will be valuable."

Rylee returned to his dorm where Bridger was pacing back and forth. "What's up with you?" He asked.

"I'm being transported off-planet tomorrow night." She paused mid-step. "Wait. Why am I explaining myself to _you_?"

"Why so nervous? It's not like you're leaving anything behind. Not like you have a _sibling_ or anything."

She looked at him, her crystal blue eyes studied his face. "How did you know about Ezra?"

"I didn't until right now." He smirked. "Smart move, princess."

"Why you little-" She cut herself off. "You know, the best thing about going to Garel is I won't have to put up with you anymore."

"The feeling's mutual," Rylee said.

She turned away and went to her bunk, lying down on her back. She never spared him so much as a glance as she replied. "And Rylee."

"Yeah."

"Tonight you better sleep with one eye open."


	20. Chapter 17: The Vision

Everyone prepared that day. Every detail was covered, every question was answered, and everyone was feeling confident.

At the moment, Ezra sat on the edge of his bunk in his room, alone. He had his eyes closed and was almost in a state of meditation. Arez was all he thought of.

 _Ezra..._

He opened his eyes in surprise.

 _Ezra! I knew you'd come back!_

His vision began flashing white, and he began hearing different voices

 _Hold it right there, Bridger. You're not going anywhere._

 _Sabine! Watch out!_

 _I knew the rebels planned to attack, but this offense is simply pathetic._

 _I'm Sorry Ezra..._

He suddenly became very dizzy, and his surroundings faded into white, then he saw flashes of something. All of them racing through the academy halls. They entered a room. Then he saw Arez dangling over the edge of a building, the only thing preventing her from falling to her doom was his hand. He could almost feel her hand in his, slipping...

 _Ezra, leave me behind..._

 _No... No! I won't leave you! Not again!_

 _Ezra! Go! Go train with Kanan, get a Lightsaber, become a Jedi, take down the Empire._

 _Not... Without you..._

 _She locked eyes with him, then shook herself free, and began to fall down towards the ground below._

 _Arez!_

* * *

He opened his eyes, waking with a start. His sight cleared and he could make out Kanan, Sabine, Marina and Zeb standing over him. "K-Kanan?" He asked.

"Ezra, what happened to you?"

"I... I _saw_ something."

"You had a vision?!"

Ezra slowly sat up. He was on the ground, and his head hurt. "Ow," He muttered.

"He fell from the top bunk," Sabine said. " hit his head pretty bad."

"Ezra, what did you see?" Kanan asked.

"I saw Arez... and us, sneaking around the academy... and then..." He stopped talking, and Kanan knew not to ask more. "We can't go on the mission."

"Yeah, I think he hit his head a bit too hard," Sabine said.

Kanan helped Ezra to his feet and they walked out of the room.

"It was all so... real. You were there, and everyone else was there, and there were troopers everywhere." He said. Hera walked in, but when she saw Ezra's condition, she looked at Kanan.

"He fell off his bunk." Kanan answered her unspoken question.

"How'd he do that?" She asked.

Ezra sat down and completely tuned out. His head hurt but all he could think of was Arez.

* * *

Arez prepared for her trip that night to Garel, and when she was done, she began pacing again. Zare studied her curiously. He couldn't believe he had never realized she was Dev Morgan's sister, She looked just like him. "Hey, Bridger." He said.

She paused, looking at him.

He sighed. "I just want you to know that... I know about Dev."

She looked confused for a moment, but then realization spread across her face. "Oh, right. Dev."

"Do you really think Dev would just let you go off to some other planet?"

"Leonis, tell me what's going on. He's mentioned you before, but how do you _really_ know Dev?"

"Dev was a good friend back when he went to the academy.

She raised an eyebrow. "Is that all?"

He hesitated. "Yeah. Yeah, that's all."

Zare wished he could've said more, but he knew Rylee wasn't too far away, and that was a chance he wouldn't take. But one thing was for sure.

When the Rebels attacked, a hell would break loose.


	21. Chapter 18: A Trap

"So this is it," Ezra said, looking out at the academy from the _Phantom_ door. He couldn't stop thinking about his vision. What if that was real? What if he lost Arez forever?

"It's time to go," Kanan told him, and Ezra nodded. They had to jump onto the platform below, which suspiciously had no guards. Kanan went first, followed by Zeb, and Sabine.

Marina looked at Ezra. "Ready?" She asked.

Ezra nodded. She took his hand and they jumped together.

They landed smoothly on the platform. Ezra went to the panel next to the door and began working on it with a tool he carried with him at all times. The door opened, and they all ran inside. Once inside, they ran down the hall towards the dormitories. Ezra looked at them, reading the numbers on each of the doors. He finally saw the one.

"LRC077," Sabine said. "This is the place. You guys stay out here." The others nodded. Ezra slowly opened the door, then a smile spread across his face.

Arez sat inside on the edge of her bunk. She looked up at him and smiled. "Ezra! I knew you'd come back!" She stood up and ran to him, embracing him in a hug.

Ezra smiled to himself. He had missed this. Arez released him. "C'mon, let's go." She said.

"Hold it right there, Bridger." He looked to see one of the cadets pointing a blaster at them. "You're not going anywhere."

Arez glared at him. "typical Rylee." She said. "In case you haven't noticed, you're outnumbered."

"Like it matters right now." He said. Sabine reached towards one of her blaster pistols. "Hold it, Rebel. Take that gun and I'll shoot."

Ezra didn't know who this Rylee kid was, but he had some nerve. But Suddenly, Rylee was stunned from behind. He fell to the floor to reveil another cadet behind him.

Arez recognized him. It was cadet Siera. "Siera?" She asked.

"Actually, it's Devon." He said. "now go!"

"What about you?" Sabine asked.

"I'll be fine, just get out of here!"

Ezra nodded and they ran out of the dorm. They met up with the others outside the dorm and together, they ran down the hall.

"Our new exit is the upper level," Kanan said.

They got to the upper-level landing platform, only to find it was filled with troopers and cadets.

"Go!" Kanan yelled, and they made a run for it. Sabine, Zeb, and Kanan shot at the troopers and cadets, and Marina ran along with Ezra and Arez. Sabine threw out a smoke bomb. It went off and smoke surrounded them all, thick and suffocating. They troops shot blindly through the smog, half of the shots hitting the other troops. But out of the corner of his eye, Ezra saw one lucky shot headed right for Sabine.

"Sabine! Watch out!" He said. He ran and pushed her out of the way just in time, but was hit himself. He felt the energy pulse through his limbs, making them feel numb, but he fought it and rejoined the group.

The Rebels ran to the edge of the platform and jumped onto another close roof. They hopped across the roofs, escaping. But on the last roof, Arez didn't quite make it. Ezra grabbed her hand before she fell. She dangled over the edge of the building, the only thing preventing her from falling to her doom was his hand. He could feel her slipping...

She stared up at him, her sapphire blue eyes penetrating him. "Ezra, leave me behind..."

"No... No! I won't leave you! Not again!" He yelled in protest.

"Ezra! Go! Go train with Kanan, get a Lightsaber, become a Jedi, take down the Empire."

He felt tears in his eyes. "Not... Without you..."

She locked eyes with him, one look that seemed so intense, filled with all the emotion trapped inside of her. A look that answered all of his questions, while at the same time, leaving him with a thousand more. Her lips parted, and she spoke three last words.

"I'm sorry, Ezra..." She shook herself free and began to fall down towards the ground below.

"Arez!" He yelled out, feeling the agony tearing through him.

"Ezra!" Marina ran back to him. "We have to go." She grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet, Then they ran together to the Phantom.

Sabine and the others were waiting in the _Phantom_ when Ezra and Marina entered. They sat down and Hera took off, but Sabine saw something off about Ezra. He just sat there, emotionless.

"Where's Arez?" Kanan asked.

Sabine's eyes widened as she realized. Arez hadn't made it...

* * *

 **Hey guys! Thanks so much for supporting my story, you're all beautiful! I know a couple weeks back I didn't update for months, but thanks for your patience, it'll really pay off in the end. And to my friend, Cr33p3rGrrl, AKA Tory** **Gospi** **, thanks for the character. Everyone check out her story, The Long Lost Sibling *Star Wars Rebels Fanfiction* (On Quotev) You'll love it. So if you wanna see what happens to Arez, and you know you do, keep reading. And may the Force be with you, always...**


	22. Chapter 19: Voices

**Hey, guys, this chapter may be a little shorter, just for more reader satisfaction.**

* * *

Ezra spoke to no one as they docked back into the _Ghost_. Kanan had already figured out that Arez hadn't made it, but made no attempt to talk to Ezra about it. He walked into his cabin, Zeb was going to go in too but decided Ezra should've been left alone.

He went to sit on the edge of the bottom bunk. He sighed, folding his hands in front of his face. He closed his eyes and made a last attempt to connect to Arez.

* * *

Arez felt very cold and had no idea where she was.

 _Arez..._

That was a voice she had never heard before. Female, mature.

 _Arez, you're friends are worried about you. You need to get back to them._

 _Well, I would if I knew where I was._

 _Open your eyes. You're exactly where you're_ meant _to be._

 _Who are you?_

 _You may not know me, Padawan, but your master does. For my name is Depa..._

* * *

Arez opened her eyes a tiny bit. All she saw was white. A very bright light shining down on her from above. As her eyes adjusted, she opened them wider. She looked around, but she could only see the floor within the light, everything else melted into darkness.

"Hello?" She called out, but no one answered. This scared her slightly, where was she? It was like she was trapped.

"Hello, youngling." A voice suddenly replied to her. She gasped, she wasn't completely alone.

"Where am I?" She asked.

"That's the wrong question."

"Okay... Then why am I here?"

She chuckled. "That's better."

Arez's expression faded into confusion. The speaker then stepped out of the shadows, half of her face was still hidden in the darkness, but from what Arez could make out, she had orange skin and white and blue horns that cascaded down her shoulders. She wore samurai-like armor and at her sides hung two lightsabers. "I saved your life, you should be thanking me." She said.

"I-I am thankful for that, but I have to get back to my friends. They're probably worried sick."

The mysterious woman disappeared back into the shadows. Arez began to panic. "Wait! Don't leave me here!" She yelled. "At least tell me who you are."

There was a pause. "My name," the woman began, "is Ahsoka Tano."

Arez heard a door close, and she fell to her knees. She buried her face in her hands.

She was alone.

Again...


	23. Chapter 20: The Test

"Anything yet, love?" Hera asked, sitting next to Kanan who was attempting to connect to Arez through the force. He opened his eyes and looked at her, his expression told her his efforts had been unsuccessful.

"Nothing. I can't get through to her." He said.

"I told you." Marina's voice drifted in as she entered the room, she seemed to float rather than walk. "Ezra's dark energy has wrapped around her mind. Not even I can get through to her."

"well, there must be some way to get to her," Hera said standing up. "For all we know, she may be dead."

Marina sat down on the other side of the room. "The only person who can get to Arez now is-"

"Ezra," Kanan said.

"Precisely."

* * *

Sabine sprayed a last bit of paint on a small formerly-blank portion of her wall. She looked at what she had painted and was surprised when she saw Ezra. She sighed, putting her airbrush back onto her belt, and looked around her room. Everywhere on the walls, she saw paintings of both Ezra and Arez. She loaded a gray can of paint into her airbrush and began spraying over the strangely natural paintings of the two. When she finished, the paint blended with her wall color so well that you never could've known she had painted there. She put the paint away and sat down on her bunk, or rather, Arez's bunk. Where was her roommate now?

* * *

Arez still sat on the cold metal floor, weeping into her hands. Then, unexpectedly, her tears ceased, and the others dried on her face. She wiped her eyes but froze when she saw a still-bleeding cut on her forearm. She soon realized they were everywhere, especially on her face. She sighed, then stood up. She couldn't imagine how horrid she may look. She slowly began to walk towards the shadows, scared for what might lay just beyond her view. She entered the darkness and felt the cool wash over her. She eventually came to a wall, a door. It was locked.

"Just my luck." She said. Whoever that Ahsoka Tano was, she had some nerve to lock her up in here. Arez closed her eyes and pictured the locking mechanism in her mind. She heard a click, and the door slid open, and a new light washed over her. She looked to see there was no floor outside the door, but a few platforms a little bit away. Then she realized...

 _It was a test._

But why? She didn't bother to think more on the subject, she took a few steps back, then ran towards the doorway, and jumped to the closest platform. She began jumping from platform to platform, and eventually reached the other side of the field. On the other side were three doors.

 _Which path will you choose, Padawan?_ She heard Ahsoka's voice in her head. _Which one will be the right path, and which one will lead to danger?_

She didn't know why, but she felt something, and. It was telling her to go through the middle door. She sighed and reluctantly walked through the door. She walked for what felt for infinity through a dark corridor. something about the surrounding darkness seemed to scare her, testing her willpower, daring her to turn back.

Finally, she came to the end of the corridor. The lights flicked on, and she saw, it was a blank wall. She turned back the way she came, but a wall fell in between her and the exit. Suddenly, the two walls began closing in, only minutes away from crushing her. She tried to push the walls away, but they continued to close in. After two minutes, she gave up and fell to the floor. Suddenly, the walls lifted up, and she saw, standing before her, the woman from before. Ahsoka Tano.

"You've failed." She said.

Arez, slightly confused, stood up. "Come with me." Ahsoka said, walking down the hall. Arez frowned and followed. She had failed.

She had _failed..._


	24. Chapter 21: Gudidence

Ahsoka led Arez down the hall and through many twisting corridors. Occasionally they would pass a door, but the mysterious woman paid them no heed.  
Finally, they entered a small room, almost like a kitchen. A few cupboards sat along the wall, and in the center of the room was a glass table with a few chairs around it. Ahsoka approached the table and pulled out a chair. She looked at Arez. "Come, sit."  
Arez nodded and slowly made her way over there. She sat down, feeling her anxieties finally getting to her. She was half-tempted to run, yet she didn't. Ahsoka took the seat across from her, her warm expression turning grim.  
"You are exceedingly strong with the Force," she said, resting her blue eyes on Arez, "but I sense much darkness within you. A barrier up around your mind."  
Arez, slightly confused, spoke for the first time since she had last seen Ahsoka. "Why did you bring me here? Where _is_ here?"  
The Togruta smiled. "I remember when I was as curious as you. That was long ago. As for where you are, it's a safe house for many cells, not often inviting to newcomers. But you don't seem to be with the Empire."  
"You mean, there are other rebels?" Arez's sapphire blue eyes wide with wonder. What an innocent child she was, unaware of how bad things were out there.  
Ahsoka nodded. "Yes, very much. And I wish you could meet them, but it's protocol that you cannot know their names or what they look like."  
"But what about you?"  
She chuckled. "You don't know my alias, and that will be protection enough. Anyway, the reason for that test earlier was to see if you need guidance, and you do."  
Arez's smile disappeared. "But... why?"  
"You succeeded in the first four tests-"  
"There were only three tests." Arez interrupted.  
"The first one was being left alone and scared in the dark."  
"Oh," Arez understood now.  
"As I was saying. You succeeded in the first four tests, but you failed the fifth. Your fear that the walls would crush you clouded your better judgment. And now I must be sure you are well guided before you return."  
"Why?"  
"Because, Arez, you and your brother are the galaxy's only hope."  
There was a pause, as something clicked in Arez's mind. "How do you know my name?" She asked. "How do you know about Ezra?"  
Ahsoka sighed. "I've had contact with your ship over the last while."  
"Oh, okay..." She muttered, deciding to let that one slide. "So, I need to get back to my friends."  
"Alright, Arez, just one more test. Close your eyes and try to connect to your twin."  
Arez hesitated but did as she was told. She closed her eyes and searched for a way to Ezra, but darkness seemed to block every way through.

* * *

The door opened and Ezra's eyes snapped open. He looked up to see Marina entering the room, though she looked slightly different. "Ezra, are you okay?" She asked, her voice soft. Ezra then noticed the change. She'd modified her clothes. She wore a brown sleeveless tunic over a long sleeved near-black shirt, the collar nearly reached her ears. She still wore her leather pants and she hadn't gotten rid of her gloves yet. She still wore knee high brown boots and the black utility belt she had before. Her cloak was hung over the edge of her bunk. All-in-all, she hadn't changed much, but it still caught his eye.  
"Yeah, I'm fine." He said, standing up. She walked further in, her aquamarine eyes seemed to glow, almost. For the first time, Ezra noticed how beautiful she was.  
"Are you certain?"  
"Yeah, I'm certa-"  
 _Ezra!_  
He jumped. It was Arez's voice!  
"Ezra...?" Marina asked.  
He ran past her and out the door. He had to tell Kanan.

* * *

Arez opened her eyes. "I think I got through." She said. "What now?"  
"Alright," Ahsoka said. "Follow me." She stood up and Arez followed. She led her to a set of doors and handed her a cloak. Arez put it on, pulling up the hood. "Now Arez, you can't know the location of this safe house. I'll lead you to Capital city, but you need to promise me you'll keep your eyes closed."  
Arez nodded, "Alright." She said, closing her eyes.  
Ahsoka took her hand and began to lead her somewhere. She wasn't sure where she was when they stopped, but her legs ached.  
"Open your eyes." She opened them, she was at the edge of Capital city. She looked around, but Ahsoka was gone.  
"Woah." She whispered. Well, she didn't have much time to lose. She ran off into the city. She would find Ezra and the others  
She _had_ to.


	25. Chapter 22: The Note

**This is a bit of a song chapter, and I don't want it to be, but it's too late to change it now.**

* * *

Marina stepped out of the _Ghost's_ door and into the crisp morning air. She had snuck out of the ship because at the moment, she needed some alone time. She strolled along through the prairie, her hair flowed out behind her in the breeze like a sheet of silk. She eventually came to a small riverbank she had discovered on a previous walk.  
She sat down at the water's edge and stared up at the horizon. The rising sun painted the sky pink and orange and red, the way a sunrise should've looked. She took off her boots and dipped her feet in the river, The cold was refreshing. She sighed and opened her mouth, a song forming in her throat.  
 _If I die young  
Burry me in satin  
Lay me down on a  
Bed of roses  
Sink me in the river, at dawn  
And send me away with the words of a love song_

Her musical voice filled the air like a chorus of bells, causing every Loth-cat in the area to stop and stare. She was so glad to be with such a great crew, they were almost like a family. Kanan was like a father to Ezra and Arez, and Hera kept it all together like a mother would. Ezra and Zeb fought like brothers, Arez confided in Sabine like a sister would, and Chopper was... Chopper. As for her real family? Who knew where they were. She still remembered the first time she met the crew, and she still felt guilty for lying. She remembered it well.  
She had just bought a small amount of time for the two of them. She looked back over at the supposed _Padawan_. The blue haired girl still knelt in a bleeding mess where she had left her. With the gash in her leg, it was unlikely she would be able to walk, so she hurried over to the girl and helped her up.  
Together they made their way back towards the docking bay when suddenly, a man dropped down from the ventilation shaft before them.  
"Arez!" He said in surprise, but then he saw Marina. He had reached for two pieces of a lightsaber when Arez stopped him. And Marina immediately knew that this man was a Jedi, and Arez was his padawan.  
Together, they returned to the ship. And that was when she had lied.  
She told them that her parents gave her to the Empire, but her life had been something quite different.  
She had actually been born on a planet far from the outer rim, and when she was six, she had mysteriously appeared on Lothal. She didn't remember exactly what had happened, but one night when she was playing in her backyard, she fell asleep, and in the morning, she woke up on the side of the road in Central city.  
She had been found wandering the streets by a nice young couple. From that day forward, she had left her old life behind. No more Samantha Carson, that quiet nerdy girl. She was now Marina Delgonzo. Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time before the couple turned her over to the Empire like many parents had already done with their _three-year-old_ children.  
She trained at the academy. Then came the final assessment. After, she had become the Inquisitor's apprentice and learned the ways of the Force. The _wrong_ ways. She spent the next nine years hunting rebels, Jedi, and taking innocent lives. To this day, she was still ashamed to look herself in the mirror.  
She sighed, coming back to reality. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a note she had been meaning to give to Ezra, but had never gotten the chance. She began to read...

 _Hey, Ezra.  
Look, I know times are tough with Arez missing and all, but I just wanted to let you know, we should stick together, cause that's when we're strongest. Don't give up just because you're afraid. We'll find her.  
I wish I had told you this sooner, but I really like you Ezra, and I want to be a rebel alongside you.  
Just remember one thing I've always known.  
Life is too short to follow the rules.  
\- Marina_

She scowled, crumpling up the paper and throwing it to the side. What was the point anyway? He would never accept her. Not as a friend, not as a lover. All she was to him was a rogue Sith apprentice. And that was all she would ever be.  
She looked down at the river, staring at her reflection in the rushing water. This was the new her. A rebel, not an apprentice.  
"Marina?"  
She jumped. She looked to see Ezra standing behind her. "Oh, hey Ezra." She said, pulling on her boots.  
"Why did you come here?" He asked.  
"Oh, I just..." She stood up. "Needed some alone time." She walked past him and back towards the _Ghost_.  
Ezra watched her leave, then turned around to look at the river. He noticed the ball of paper on the ground. He picked it up unraveling it and began to read...

* * *

Arez trudged through the city, not the only person lost in the unusually cold weather. The heavy cloak Ahsoka had given her did little to ward off the cold but kept her well hidden. The hood kept her face in the shadows, and she drew the rest of the cloak tightly around herself.  
She passed by many stores, all of which had closed long ago. She drew the cloak even tighter around herself and broke into a sprint. Moments later she ran into someone. She fell to the ground, her hood fell off, revealing her face. She looked up to see... it was Tory.  
"Arez?" She gasped, her eyes wide with shock.  
She quickly stood up, glaring at the girl she once thought as an ally. " _You_." She growled.  
Tory pulled her into an alley before a few troopers passed by.  
"What do you want?!" Arez asked from between her teeth.  
"Shh!" Tory put a finger to her lips. "Look, I know I betrayed your trust before, but you have to listen to me." She said. "I ran away from the Officers' Academy today because I need your help."  
Arez narrowed her eyes at the begging girl. "Why should I trust you?"  
"You shouldn't." She said. "But please. Look, the Empire has my little sister, Natalie, and I can't rescue her on my own. That's the only reason I joined the Empire in the first place! So please, help me."  
Arez pursed her lips. She couldn't believe she was even considering this. "Fine." She said. "But I need to get back to the others first, so come with me."  
Tory nodded. "Thank you." She said.  
And together, they continued on the way back to the _Ghost_.


	26. Chapter 23: Confrontation

Ezra knocked on Marina's door, the crumpled note in his hand. The door opened.  
"Yeah?" She asked, but froze when she saw the piece of paper clutched in his hand.  
"Marina," He began. "If you like me, why didn't you just say?"  
"Are you really that dense?"  
"Well..." He frowned. "Look, if you want to be with me, I'd be okay with that."  
She stared at him for a few seconds, then turned away. "I can't..."  
"Can't? What do you mean you can't?"  
She whipped around, anger on her face. "I just can't okay?!" She paused, seeming on the verge of tears. "One thing I've learned in my life is you should never get too attached to something, cause it'll eventually disappoint you. That's why I never stick around anywhere too long."  
"Oh," He frowned. "Okay... sorry." He turned and walked away, he dropped the note to the floor as he left her behind.  
Marina knelt down, picking up the note. She clutched it to her chest, sobbing quietly.

* * *

Ezra sat in the entrance room, the door was open. He watched out the door, thinking of Arez.  
"Where did I go wrong?..." He whispered.  
Suddenly, he saw a cloaked figure and a girl step onto the ramp. He had been so upset that he hadn't even noticed it. He quickly stood up, worrying that they might not be on their side, when the figure pulled the cloak hood off.  
He stared, open mouthed, amazed.  
It was Arez.  
He didn't know why, but he suddenly found himself running towards her. He embraced her in a hug. He had lost her too much, and it felt good to know she was alive. To hug her one last time.  
Then, he saw over her shoulder, Tory, the one who had gotten Arez captured.  
He broke away from Arez and stumbled back. "It's her!"  
"No! Ezra," Arez said. "She's with me."  
He looked at her, confused. She sighed. "I'll explain later. For now, let's go let everyone know I'm alive."  
He nodded. "Kanan and Hera have been so worried." He said, climbing up the ladder, but not before giving Tory a warning look.

* * *

"Arez?!" Everyone seemed to say in unison when they entered the main room. They all stared, mouths agape.  
Arez sighed. "Yeah, I'm alive! Did everyone seriously believe I was dead?"  
"Maybe for a moment," Zeb muttered, ashamed.  
"How did you survive?" Sabine asked.  
"I wish I knew that myself." She said as they came to sit down. It wasn't completely a lie, but she didn't mention Ahsoka.  
Suddenly, everyone froze. She looked to see Tory had entered. Sabine reached for one of her blaster pistols, but Arez stopped her.  
"No! She's okay." She said. "Look, the Empire has her sister, and she needs our help to save her."  
Everyone's expression told her that they thought she was crazy.  
"Arez," Kanan began. "She almost killed H-"  
"I know!" Tory yelled. "But what was I supposed to do? Turn on Kallus? I would've been shot in half a second."  
Hera pursed her lips, internally debating the idea. "Let's give her a chance."  
"Hera, you can't be serious," Zeb said.  
"I am." She stood up and walked over to Tory. "Helping people who have been affected by the Empire is what we do. So everyone, meet your new temporary crew member, Specter 9."

* * *

 **Tory probably wasn't on the rebels' side when she almost shot Hera. Who knows? She may be lying entirely. Read on to find out~**


	27. Chapter 24: Illness

It had been two days since Tory had entered the _Ghost_ , and Ezra still didn't trust her. He walked into the main room, early morning. He yawned and greeted Chopper as he sat down. He heard footsteps and saw Arez enter the room. He gasped, she was so pale! Almost lifeless! She had dark circles under her eyes and looked weak enough to collapse.  
"Arez," he stood up. "What happened to you?"  
"I-I'm fine," she said, but barely finished the sentence before bursting into a fit of coughs.  
Sabine, Hera, and Kanan entered moments later, and all looked shocked at Arez's condition.  
"Arez," Hera said, rushing to her side. "Are you alright? You look terrible."  
"I'm completely fine..." She said, then collapsed. Kanan, Sabine, and Ezra all hurried over and knelt down near her.  
"Chopper," Kanan said, "run a scan on a sample of her blood."  
Chopper beeped a few times and took a sample from Arez.  
Zeb suddenly ran into the room. "Guys, we have a problem." He said, then saw Arez. " Karabast, what happened in here?"  
"Arez is sick!" Ezra said. "Or hurt, or something. What's your bad news?"  
"Marina is gone," Zeb said.  
Everyone looked at him, shocked. Chopper finished the scan and beeped, getting everyone's attention. Kanan looked at the scan.  
"Kanan, What does it say?" Hera asked.  
"It says..." He looked at them. "She's been poisoned."  
"Let me see that," Sabine said, taking the datapad. "Yep. It says that alright. Zecaine. Colorless, odorless, tasteless. Whoever did this really covered their tracks."  
"I'm betting it was Tory," Zeb said.  
"You think she'd do this?" Sabine asked.  
"Absolutely."  
"Kanan," Ezra said. "Is there an antidote?"  
"Yes." He said. "Ezra, you and Zeb need to go to Central city to get the antidote. There's a store on the outskirts of town."  
"I'll go," Sabine said. "Arez is Ezra's sister. He should stay here and help take care of her."  
Hera nodded. "Alright, go grab some packs and you head out immediately."  
"Yes, ma'am!" Sabine said with a mocking salute before running off to grab a pack.

* * *

Sabine and Zeb were heading out, and they had moved Arez to the Med-bay. She was looking worse by the hour. He sat by her side the entire time, staring at her face. He couldn't believe he was going to lose Arez. Again.  
Sabine and Zeb walked along through the prairie, knowing exactly which way to go. Central was about two clicks west of Capital.  
Later, they finally made it to Central. It was a large country settlement, not nearly as big as Capital, but still big enough to get lost. Sabine saw the store.  
The sign above the door said Auntie Jen's Homemade Remedies.  
"Looks like this is the place," Sabine said.


	28. Chapter 25: The Slave

**And this is where we meet my favorite little character!**

* * *

The bell above the door rang as Sabine pushed it open. Most doors opened with the push of a button, but this store was old fashioned. The store was dark and dirty, and smelled like many different herbs and spices mixed together. Behind the counter stood a woman in a cloak. They entered and walked up to the counter.

"Good day." The woman, presumably Auntie Jen, said.

"Hello." Zeb began. "We were wondering if you have an antidote for zecaine?"

"I actually happen to have one left in stock." She said. She looked over her shoulder. "Hanna!"

A little girl hurried through the door. She was wearing everything white. White shirt, jacket, pants, and she was also wearing blue knee high boots, a blue belt, and a blue headband in her long dark brown hair. Her face and clothes were dirty like she had been working near a fireplace. "Yes?"

"What happened back there?" She asked, surprised by the girl's appearance.

"A pot of spice fell on me." The girl, Hanna, replied.

"Oh, dear." Jen went past her and into the back room.

Sabine looked at the girl. She was probably eight or nine. What was she doing in a place like this? Why would someone so young need to work? "Are you a slave?" She asked.

She turned to face them, her face set into a little, pinched scowl. "No, I'm not! I'm a person and my name is Hanna Jento."

She studied Sabine and Zeb for several seconds, her bright green eyes missed nothing. "You look familiar..." Her eyes widened in realization. "You're the rebels from those holonets!"

"Umm..." Zeb looked to Sabine. They were saved when Jen came back in with the antidote. It was liquid in a syringe.

"That'll be twenty credits." She said.

"Wow, cheap," Zeb muttered as he handed her the credits, and took the antidote. They turned for the door, but the girl called to them.

"Wait!" Hanna said. She ran to stand in front of them. "Can I go with you? Please, I have nowhere else to go."

Zeb and Sabine exchanged a look. She knew who they were... it was a little unnerving. She was only a kid. Getting her involved in the rebellion would be too dangerous. "Sorry, no," Sabine said.

The girl frowned, and they walked past her out the door.

Hannah turned towards the door, a mischievous glint in her eye. She walked out the door, after the rebels she knew.

* * *

They ran as fast as they could back to where Hera had landed the ship. They ran up the ramp and to the Med-bay.

Hannah stealthily snuck in after them. She hid outside the Med-bay door, peeking in.

Everyone was in the Med-bay. Arez laid on a cot, hooked up to a monitor that beeped in sync with her heartbeat. "You got the antidote!" Ezra said.

"Hurry! We have to save her." Hera said.

Sabine handed Kanan the syringe, and he carefully poked the needle through the skin on Arez's arm, injecting the clear liquid into her pale body.

Everyone watched expectantly, but nothing happened. "Why isn't anything happening?" Sabine asked.

Suddenly, the monitor began to beep slower, getting slower and slower by the second. "No, no, no!" Ezra yelled.

Hannah then stepped into the room. "I guess someone didn't read the label on that syringe."

They all turned to look at her. "What are you doing here?!" Sabine asked.

"Doesn't matter. I can save her." She walked up to Kanan and took the syringe. She pointed to the label. "Says right here, it takes half an hour to work." Arez's heartbeat was getting even slower. Suddenly, the monitor let out a long beep, and the jagged line on the screen began going flat.

"She's flat-lining!" Ezra yelled. He looked at Hanna "If you're gonna help her, help her now!"

Hannah reached into a bag slung over her shoulder and produced another syringe filled with a very thin clear liquid, as oppose to the other syringe that had thick fluid. "Inject this." She said.

Ezra quickly took the syringe and stuck the needle into her arm, as Kanan had before. He injected the liquid in, holding his breath. Nothing happened.

Everyone watched silently, the only noise in the room was the loud beep in the background. Then, something changed! The monitor began beeping again, picking up speed. Her heartbeat was coming back! Arez's closed eyes fluttered open. She was alive!

Everyone looked at Hanna, astonished. She blushed, smiling. "You just saved her life!" Zeb said.

She nodded. "Yeah, I've got a lot of medical experience." She said, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck.

"We could use that kind of skill on out team," Hera said, smiling at the girl. "What do you say?"

Hannah's smile widened. "Yes!"

Kanan smiled. "Welcome to the team, specter 9."

She looked at him, happy. "By the way, I know who you all are."

Ezra looked confused. "What?"

She rolled her eyes playfully. "I mean, I know that you're the rebels the Imperials are hunting." She said. She looked at Sabine. "You're the one who blew up that shipyard. And you," she turned to Zeb, "you're the Lasat that's always taking out the stormtroopers. And you," she turned to Hera, "you're the pilot, and you three..." She looked at Kanan, Ezra, and the newly conscious Arez. She hesitated, suddenly cautious. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "You three are the Jedi that the Empire wants."

The three exchanged a look, suddenly wary. "Where did you hear that?" Ezra asked.

"A little bit from the holonet, but mostly from whispers in the streets. News travels fast, and right now, you're the most interesting news goin' 'round."

Hera knew everyone was tense right now, so she spoke up. "Well, I think we should let Ezra and Arez talk. Sabine, Zeb, Tory, welcome our new member. Kanan," she looked at Kanan. "I need to talk to you. Alone."

He nodded and followed Hera out of the Med-bay. Sabine, Zeb, and Tory exchanged a look before escorting Hannah out of the room.

Ezra looked at Arez who still sat on the cot. "What happened?" She asked.

He sighed, sitting down next to her. "It's a long story."


	29. Chapter 26: Extreme Measures

Kanan and Hera entered the cockpit and sat down. Kanan could tell by Hera's expression that something was up.

"Kanan," she began. "What I wanted to talk to you about was..." She hesitated. "Remember what happened back when you were all captured?"

Kanan grimaced. "How could I forget?"

"Well, I've been thinking. Between Ezra, Sabine, and Zeb, Ezra has the strongest will; You know that. And if he cracked under pressure..."

Kanan raised an eyebrow. "Hera, where is this going?"

"For the safety of the team, Kanan, we have to stop telling the rest of the crew about many things."

Kanan's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait a minute. You mean everything?!"

She nodded. "Small ops, meetings with Fulcrum, secrets, special locations. Kanan, we have to take extreme measures."

"Hera, we can't do that!"

She met his eyes, and he could tell she didn't like this any more than he did. "We have to."

* * *

Arez watched Ezra intently as he explained the events of the last few days. "So, you were poisoned. And while you were out, Sabine andZebb had to go get an antidote."

"Did anything else happen?" She asked.

He bit his lip, remembering what had happened.

* * *

 _Arez sat next to him, on the cot, unconscious. He watched her pale, lifeless face._

 _"It should've been me," he whispered quietly. "I've lost you too many times." He closed his eyes, but for once, no tears came._

 _"Ezra..."_

 _He opened his eyes. He looked to see Arez was muttering things in her sleep. He listened closely._

 _"Ahsoka... rebel cells... protocol... the galaxy's only hope... Ezra?"_

 _"Yes, Arez?" He asked_ _though he knew she couldn't hear him. her expression twisted into confusion, then fear._

 _"We're the galaxy's only hope..."_

 _He stared at her, his mouth agape. Was it true? Were they the galaxy's only hope?_

* * *

He shook his head. "No. nothing else happened." He lied. "But you were poisoned, and I wanna find out who did that to you." His expression turned to anger. "And when I do I'll make them pay..."

Arez frowned at him. She knew Ezra, and if she was right, he wouldn't stop looking until he found who did it.

* * *

Sabine, Zeb, and Tory led Hanna, who was now obnoxiously bubbly, through the ship. She stared wide eyed at everything, seeming amazed no matter what it was.

"And here is the cockpit," Sabine said as they entered the cockpit.

"Wow..." Hanna breathed.

"And that concludes our tour." Zeb said.

"Why dont you and tory hang out, Hanna?" Sabine said to her. "I need to talk to Zeb."

"Okay!" She said.

Zeb followed Sabine out of the cockpit. "We're both thinking the same thing right?" She asked.

"That this Hanna girl is super obnoxious?" Zeb asked, jabbing his thumb towards the door to the cockpit.

"Totally." Sabine said. "But no. I think that it was Tory who poisoned Arez."

Zeb nodded. "Yeah. She's definately suspect number one."

"But how can we convince Kanan and Hera?" There was a pause. Sabine sighed. "We can't."

"But we can still try."

"Oh, dont worry." Sabine said. "I certainly will."


	30. Chapter 27: Suspicions

#RosaPleaseDontKillMe

Marina sighed, throwing down a cleaning rag. She had been working at the bar in Kothal part-time to make some creds until she could rebuild her bridges with the Empire. She looked at her boss, a male human. He was tall and stocky with brown hair and near silver eyes.  
"Here," he said, tossing her a few credits. "You did a decent job, now get out. I'm closing up."  
"Good," she said. "By the way, I quit." And with that, she whipped around and hurried out of the bar. She had hated working there but did it for the money.  
She went back to a house, the house she lived in before her parents turned her over to the Empire. Her former guardians had been shot long ago, so she was left alone. She dropped the credits into a jar full of them, then headed out the door. The things she had in her head, she needed to get them off her mind. MM

* * *

Marina sat down by the same riverbank she had sat on a few days prior to these events. She once again removed her boots and dipped her feet in the now frigid water. She thought about Ezra and sighed. "Where did I go wrong?" She asked, staring at the sky.

She once again opened her mouth, and song poured out in beautiful melodys.  
 _Remember all the things we wanted  
Now all our memories, they're haunted  
We were always meant to say goodbye  
Even with our fists held high  
It never would have worked out right, yeah  
We were never meant for do or die  
I didn't want us to burn out  
I didn't come here to hurt you now I can't stop_

 _I want you to know  
That it doesn't matter  
Where we take this road  
But someone's gotta go  
And I want you to know  
You couldn't have loved me better  
But I want you to move on  
So I'm already gone_

She sighed once again. That song summed up her feelings about Ezra completely, and she wished she could go back, but she knew that once he found out what she had done, he would never forgive her.  
She poisoned Arez.

* * *

Arez checked on Ezra in his room, worrying about him. He had been in his room for way too long. The last time he had been in his room that long, it was because he was hiding from them.  
The door slid open, and the saw Ezra staring at a board on the wall. It was a holoboard, and had small note bubbles all over the screen. Pictures were tagged, and in the middle of the big jumbled mess was a blank space, meant for the culprit's picture. She sighed, he had been obsessed with this.  
"Ezra, please stop this." she said.  
"But I've almost figured out who it is."  
"That's what you said last night." she said. "You need to sleep!"  
He turned to look at her, dark circles under his eyes. "Sorry, Arez." he said. "I just want to know who tried to poison you."  
"Well, you can be persistent and paranoid later," Arez said. "For now, come get something to eat."

* * *

Kanan and Hera sat together in the main room, discussing a small up they were to do together. Like they had said earlier, they did not tell any of the other crew members.  
Sabine peeked through the doorway, seeing Kanan and Hera, but they were discussing something. She wondered what it was, but was then spotted by Hera.  
"Sabine?" she asked.  
"Oh," she stepped into the room. "Hey. I wanted to talk to you about Tory."  
"Oh, uhh..." Hera looked at Kanann for a second, then looked back at Sabine. "Can it wait for a moment? I'm talking with kanan."  
"Okay, what are you talking about?"  
They both hesitated. "Oh, nothing to be concerned about." Hera said.  
"Yeah, don't worry, Sabine. Hera'll be out in a moment." Kanan said.  
"O...kay..." Sabine said before waking out the room. She felt her suspicions rising. They were hiding something from her, she knew it.


	31. Chapter 28: Revenge

_Marina stood before Ezra, saber ignited. Ezra held in his hand one of her sabers, ready to fight. She tightened her grip, and they ran at each other._

* * *

Ezra sat up, breathing heavily, drenched in cold sweat. It had been a dream, or had it been a vision? He honestly couldn't tell anymore.

He jumped down from his bunk, Zeb was already out of the room. He sighed, going to the holoboard. He pressed a button, and the screen flickered to life, showing the evidence he'd acquired. He looked at the suspects, Tory was the first on the list. He stared at the screen for a little while longer.

 _If only marina was here_. He thought. _She could help me with this._

Then, something clicked. It all made sense, but it couldn't be, it just couldn't! Who was the only person with the knowledge of poison? the only one who they trusted enough? the only one with the motive?...

 _Marina..._

No, no _no_! she had left after he spoke to her about liking him. He had driven her away. He had been at the fault of his sister's near-demise... He felt anger flare inside of him, not only at Marina but at himself. He wanted revenge. And he wanted it bad!


	32. Chapter 29: A Final Showdown

**I spent too much time on the flashbacks in this, but I didn't know how to write combat. So, remember, to those of you who love this, thank you! For those who hate it, the second book is so much better. It actually has a** ** _plot!_**

 **Also, this has sort of a song!fic plot. I hate songfics, but this song just is _perfect_ for their relationship. Oh, also, I know the _Phantom_ doesn't have a hyperdrive, but I had no idea at the time, so use your imagination.**

* * *

"Ezra!" Sabine shouted as she and Zeb ran after the anger-filled boy.

"Kid!" Zeb yelled.

Ezra stopped in front of the _Phantom_ 's door. He turned to them. "I _have_ to go, guys! Marina is on that asteroid, I _saw_ it!" he said, referencing back to the dream he had earlier this morning. It had obviously been a vision, warning him about Marina.

"Whatever you _saw_ ," Sabine said. "You don't even know how to fly the _Phantom_."

"That's where you're wrong," he pressed a button and opened the Phantom's door, then walked inside. Sabine and Zeb looked at each other in panic.

"Maybe Arez could change his mind?" Zeb suggested.

"It's too late," Sabine said. "He's already gone."

Zeb sighed. "Suppose we could tell Kanan."

Sabine frowned. "I'm sure he already knows." It was unlikely that anyone had missed the teen running as fast as he could down the hall, and it was certain that Kanan had sensed Ezra's anger. "All we can do is hope we get there in time."

* * *

Ezra sat in the pilot's seat of the _Phantom_ , auto-pilot engaged, sending the ship towards the abandoned clone base. Ezra sat with his eyes closed, the blue glow of millions of stars passing by at light speed illuminated his face. Yes, he could sense it. She was there, and she knew he was coming.

Marina watched the _Phantom_ land near the base. She waited in the shadows, the creatures around her did not attack, rather purred in affection. She had been rather talented at connecting, a skill that came in handy no matter where she was.

The _Phantom_ 's hatch opened, and Ezra emerged from the ship, his raven locks swinging in the slight breeze. His deep blue eyes flashed up, meeting the gaze of the girl emerging from the shadows of the base. Oh, yes. She had been waiting. _Expecting_. They stood directly across from each other, nearly twenty feet apart.

"You!" he yelled. "You poisoned Arez!"

She nodded, a smile playing on her lips. "Yes, I did."

"Why? Why?!" he screamed, his anger bubbling up.

"The first time I met Arez," she said, "I nearly killed her. Now..."

"You're picking up where you left off..." the words seemed to flow out of his mouth as he realized. "Marina, you didn't have to do this! You were a good friend, a great friend, and now you do this?!"

"You should never get too attached to anything," she said, "and Ezra, you're way too attached to your sister."

The anger welling inside him turned to pure rage. He reached out one hand, and almost as if magnetized, Marina's second lightsaber flew into his palm, igniting almost immediately. She smirked and took her own. and they ran at each other.

* * *

"Can't we go any faster?" Sabine asked, watching hyperspace float past them.

"Hyperspace can only take us so fast," Hera replied.

"I just wanna get there."

She looked at Sabine, a smile playing on her lips. "You're worried about Ezra!"

"What?!" she then sighed. "Yeah, I'm worried about the kid."

Hera smiled sadly. "We all are."

* * *

Marina heard the lyrics in her head as they fought.

 _Lookin' at you makes it harder,_

She and Ezra locked sabers, the ruby glow illuminated his face, making him look fearsome and angry.

 _But I know that you'll find another, who doesn't always make you wanna cry._

She pushed him away, but he came back swinging, showing more strength and skill than she'd ever seen in him.

 _Started with a perfect kiss then, we could feel the poison set in,_

She easily blocked all his hits, showing the extreme calm she used to possess. The calm she learned from her master.

 _Perfect couldn't keep this love alive._

She suddenly saw flashes of memory, flashes she didn't want to see. But she couldn't keep them out.

 _It had been a few days since Arez had been taken as an Imperial. She and Ezra sat on the_ Ghost _'s ramp, watching the sun that just peeked above the horizon. She side glanced at Ezra and frowned._

 _"We'll find Arez," she said. "Don't worry so much."_

 _"How can I not worry?" he asked. "She's my sister."_

 _"Ezra, wherever she is, I'm sure she would want you to be brave."_

 _He nodded, a smile pulling at his lips. Crystal blue eyes met aquamarine, "Thanks, Marina, for making me feel better," he said._

 _She smiled. "No problem."_

 _They stared at each other for a few seconds, and then it happened. Neither knew why, but they leaned in and kissed. They suddenly broke apart._

 _"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!" Ezra said._

 _"I-it's okay," Marina said. "Y-you didn't mean to, I know."_

 _"Yeah..." he muttered. "I... didn't..."_

* * *

She opened her eyes to see she had the advantage. She felt Ezra's anger, then, his attacks doubled in strength. She found herself at the disadvantage. Suddenly Ezra stabbed, getting a cut in on her arm. She grabbed it screaming out. She dropped the saber.

Ezra was about to strike her down, but he stopped. She looked up at him in surprise when he lowered the blade.

 _...but why?_


	33. Chapter 30: Goodbye

**Well, this is it, folks! Better begin fantasizing Marina's fate.**

* * *

"I... I can't kill you," he said, then held out his hand, helping her up.

She was amazed. "Ezra, you were so angry. You could've won. Why give up?"

"Because you don't deserve to die," he said, shocking her even more. "You didn't want to poison Arez. I know you didn't."

She shook her head. "You don't know that."

"I do," he said. "You were just angry. I know the feeling."

She frowned. "What now?"

"You can come back to the ship, come back with us."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Ezra, I can't.

He frowned as well. "I... I understand." he offered her the lightsaber. "Here."

She smiled lightly and put a hand to it, but instead of taking it, closed his hand over it. "You keep it. I won't need it where I'm going."

He sighed. "You're going back to the Empire, aren't you?"

"No," she picked up her first saber, reattaching it to her utility belt.  
"Then where are you going?"  
"I don't know," she turned away from him, pressing a hand to her injured arm. "But I'll get there someday."

She began walking away from him, away from the base and continued to get smaller and smaller as she got farther away. A small asteroid above blocked out the sun for a few seconds, and when it came back, Marina was gone. He looked down at the saber in his palm and frowned, staring at it.

He looked up when he heard engines. It was the _Ghost_. It landed and the hatch opened. Arez stood in the doorway, her arms were crossed. He grinned sheepishly and walked towards the ship.

"Sorry, Arez," he said stepping up the ramp. "Are you mad?"

"Well," she said, stretching out the word. "Yes, but not in an, 'I wanna yell at you' kinda way. More of an 'I wanna chase you' kinda way."

He smiled and ran past her, down the hall as Arez ran after him. He laughed, as did she. For once, two siblings just having fun...

* * *

 **Hey** **, guys! I'd like to thank you all for reading my story, favoriting, commenting, following my profile. But I'm afraid this book is done...**

 **CAUSE IM WRITING A SEQUEL!**

 **I know what you're thinking. _"Why would you scare us like that? Why?!"_**

 **I won't blame you for having those thoughts, I really don't. But thanks for supporting Child of the Force, now get ready to meet the Child of Destiny.**


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